On The Brightside
by Wasabi-san
Summary: Love comes in some really strange ways. At least, it seems like that for Ron. - RONxDRACO Please R&R!
1. Beginnings, Beginnings

A/N: Wow, I can't believe how long it's been since I've posted anything! I'm so sorry everyone. Anyway, this is my first Harry Potter story EVER, so I'm so very sorry if it's horrible. I hope that you guys like it anyway. Please leave a review and let me know what you think! Oh, by the way, this takes place in their 5th year!

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Everyone was waving excitedly and cheering at the top of their lungs. Parents on Platform 9 ¾ were either cheering back with smiles or cheering back with tears. Especially parents that were new to this. All the noise and excitement seemed to be infectious, making anyone and everyone happy and excited for the new year to come.

Everyone except for Ronald Weasly.

He was getting a slight headache, actually. All the read head could think about was how everyone was so full of energy this early in the morning. Not that he wasn't excited. Just tired, that's all. Ron ran his hand through his long red hair, relaxing back into the train seat as it pulled around the corner. The Platform could no longer be heard, thank god.

"Ron, are you ok?" That familiar female voice softly said. Ron looked over at his friend, Hermoine, and gave her a small smile.

"Yeah, just a headache. Where's Harry?" Ron questioned. Hermoine shrugged as she made herself comfortable on her seat.

"He went off somewhere. Maybe to find the candy cart." Hermoine said in-between a yawn. She rubbed her face, trying to wipe away the sleepiness. Ron pushed himself up off of his seat and stretched for a minute.

"I'll go find him and you rest for a bit." Ron said as he took a step towards the door.

"Are you sure?" Hermoine asked, fighting back a yawn. Ron rolled his eyes at her.

"Yes, yes. I'll be back soon." Ron said before opening the door and quickly closing it behind him. He stood outside the door for a minute, trying to decide which way to go before turning right. It took a little to push himself past some second years.

The summer, for the most part, had been good. It was quite the first few weeks after it started. Everyone was still in shock with Cedric and Voldemort and all of that. It was the twins that first made everyone laugh. That was their job anyway. The summer had done Ron some good. His hair was still as shocking red as ever. His freckles stood out on his pale face. He had grown an inch or two, now towering over everyone. The red head had grown some muscles due to throwing some unusually large gnomes out of his yard.

So, overall, it had been a good summer.

Ron turned the corner of the train compartment, still in his own daydream. Maybe that's why he ran into someone. Or maybe it was because they both turned the corner at the same time. It didn't really matter.

"Watch where you're going, Weasly!"

Ron wanted to punch them in the face. It wasn't _his _fault that they'd run into each other. It was an accident. But, of course, Ron had to take the blame.

"I _was _about to apologize, Malfoy, but I change my mind." Ron mumbled in response. Draco crossed his arms over his chest, sneering at the other boy. Draco had changed over summer break, but not that much. He was a bit taller, but nowhere as tall as Ron. Besides that, nothing had really changed.

"Don't run into me next time." Draco growled back. Ron wondered why he was still talking to him.

"It wasn't my fault." Ron mumbled as he moved to push past Draco. The blonde, on the other hand, stood in front of Ron and prevented him from doing so.

"Where are you going?"

"To find Harry and to get away from you." Ron honestly answered. Draco looked as if he was going to say something back, but Ron never heard it. Right as Draco was going to say something, there was a sound of crying behind them. Ron turned around and saw two first years standing in the hallway. One of them was crying and the other was on the verge of tears. The smaller one that was crying had longish black hair and creamy skin. The bigger one had short brown hair and big green eyes. The brown haired one was looking around them, trying to find a place to sit down. Ron fully turned around so that he was facing them and took a step forward. The two kids looked up at him with fearful looks.

"Are you guys lost?" Ron asked as he knelt down and smiled at them. The black haired boy looked at Ron with wide eyes. The brown haired, apparently a girl, nodded her head at Ron.

"Yes. We can't find anywhere to sit." She replied. Ron heard Draco scoff behind him.

"There are plenty of places to sit, it's not that hard!" Draco harshly said. The girl scowled at him as the boy hid behind her.

"Don't listen to him, he's a jerk." Ron said as he stood up. Draco mumbled some not so nice things under his breath as he turned and stalked away from the three. Ron warmly smiled at the two little ones

"I have a place for you guys to sit." Ron said. Both of their faces lit up.

"Really?! Thank you, mister!" They both said at the same time. Ron just smiled at them.

"But first, do you guys want to help me find Harry Potter?" Ron asked them. They both started to jump up and down.

"Harry Potter?! Really?! Are you friends with him?" The girl squealed in excitement. Ron nodded him head.

"His best friend, in fact." Ron replied. The girl reached forward and grabbed Ron's hand, pulling him and the little boy down the hallway.

"Let's go!" She screamed with happiness. All Ron could do was laugh. The encounter with Draco had put him in a slightly bad mood, but things seemed to be looking up.

Overall, this year seemed to be promising.

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There's the first chapter! I'm really bad at beginnings, but I really liked the idea of Ron being helpful to a bunch of first years. It just looked cute in my head. Things will get moving in the next chapter, but just to let you guys know this story is going to be LONG. I plan to do both their fifth and sixth year all in one story. Anyway, please leave a review and the next chapter should be up soon!


	2. Still Getting There

A/N: I just finished an art project and it fails horribly D:. But it got me in the mood to write and here I am. This is my attempt to do something right tonight. Anyway, I got a lot of hits on the last chapter, but only two reviews! What's up with that? Thank you Rin5o for that nice review. I now know how to spell Ron's name right. I'm not one of those people that just want a ton of reviews. I really do appreciate everyone's honest opinion and feedback. Anyway, I hope that you guys enjoy this next chapter! Please leave a kind review!

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Ron slumped back into one of the chairs in the Dining Hall. His stomach felt as if it was going to explode and his eyes were droopy and heavy. The red head took a deep breath in, relaxing a bit.

On the train, it took Ron what felt like forever to find Harry. He didn't really want to stop since the two little kids were having so much fun parading through the train. When they finally did find Harry, both of the first years practically knocked him to the floor. It was a funny sight for Ron; not so much for Harry until Ron explained everything.

When they reached Hogwarts, everything moved fast for Ron. Riding in horseless carriages, opening speeches, the Sorting Hat, the Feast, and finally closing speeches. For once, Ron was glad that things seemed to move too fast. He was tired and still had a headache. And now his stomache hurt from eating so much good food.

"Ready to go, mate?" Harry said as he stood up from the seat next to Ron. The red head nodded his head, feeling the aftermath of eating too much starting to rise. He quickly stood up, regretting it a minute later, and stumbled a little before settling himself.

"Let's head up."

"Hey mister!" A young female voice said from behind Ron. He turned around, seeing the young brown haired girl from the train standing a little ways away from him. She was blushing in slight embarrassment but had a bright smile on her face.

"I'm in Gryffindor, same as you and Harry!" She yelled, bounding up to them and almost running into Harry. Ron gave her a wide smile and thumbs up.

"That's great! Harry and I will help you to your classes tomorrow, right Harry?" Ron said, looking over at Harry. The black haired boy was staring off into space, not paying attention to anything until Ron said his name.

"What? Yeah, of course." Harry replied. Ron raised an eyebrow.

"You ok, mate?"

"… Malfoy has been staring at us all during the Feast." Harry slowly replied. He felt tense and uneasy. Of course, everyone was staring at Harry, but it felt awkward when they made it noticeable or didn't even try to hide it.

"Is he?" Ron question, looking over at the Slytherin table. Sure enough, there was Draco, looking over in his and Harry's direction. Only… he wasn't staring at Harry like he thought that he would. He was staring at Ron. The second Draco noticed Ron look over, he quickly ducked his head down and scampered off into the crowd.

"Maybe he likes you."

Ron nearly threw up from the thought. It was defiantly _not _the thing that would make his stomach feel better right now. Ron stared wide eyed at the younger girl as Harry bit back some laughter. She was looking up at both of them with curious eyes.

"What? Did I say something wrong?"

"_He wouldn't like me!_ And I'd never like him! One, we're enemies. Two, we're both guys! And I'm not a poof." Ron screamed. The Dining Hall was too loud for many people to hear him though. The young girl stared at him for a second, and then started to laugh along with Harry. Ron scowled at both of them.

"Whatever you say, mister. But a girl knows these kinds of things." She replied through her giggles. Ron just glared at her more.

"Yeah, and you're also eleven, so it doesn't count." He grumbled back. She just kept laughing though.

"Lay off, Ron. Let's show her to the Common Room." Harry said, followed by another fit of laughter. Ron seriously thought that he would end up hitting Harry.

-

Draco sat in the Slytherin Common Room, staring at the fire place from one of the very expensive sofas. Everyone had gone off to bed, even Crabbe and Goyle. The Feast had ended hours ago, but Draco couldn't sleep. Running into Ron on the train put him in a bad mood, but Draco wasn't really sure why. Maybe it was because Weasley's were just good at doing that. Or maybe it was just because Draco was being Draco. Who knew?

The blonde's sight moved from the fire place to the floor right next to it. A large, oddly shaped suitcase type box was sitting right next to the fire place. It was almost in reach of the flames, but Draco wasn't worried. He had put wards on it. No one else knew what was in it, and no one had asked. Draco had told them simply not to move it or open it.

Without hesitation, Draco pushed himself up off of the couch and moved over to the black box. It felt smooth and leathery under his warm hands as he knelt next to it. Flipping open the clasps, Draco opened the box, revealing what was inside.

Inside was a normal looking acoustic guitar. The wood was a nice light brown and the strings looked worn and used. Draco liked it that way. On the wooden body it had written in sharpie "Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom". Draco wasn't sure where or when he heard this, but it had stuck with him his whole life. It only made sense to put it on his most prized possession.

Draco sat there on the ground by the fire place and started to tune his guitar. Seeing Ron put him in a bad mood and made him feel like playing an angry song.

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I'm sorry for the horrible quality of this chapter. Not even half way through the chapter, my sister started making fun of my writing and it made me feel bad about myself. I put everything into my writing, and for her to call it bad made me really depressed. But I'm starting to get better. It wasn't how I wanted it to be, but hopefully the chapter still came out alright. Anyway, please leave a nice review to make me feel better!


	3. It May Seem Like A Stretch

A/N: Oh god, I've tried writing this so many times it's starting to get tiring. So, here is my final attempt! It's probably not that good since I've been running around for about a week straight with only about ten hours of sleep total. But I'm in a surprisingly good mood right now, so I thought I'd give it a shot. So, here you guys go! I'm so very sorry for the wait! NOTE: When it goes to Ron's part, I suggest going and listening to Iron and Wine's version of Such Great Heights. It might make more sense. Happy reading!

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Draco sat on the edge of his bed, still in his light green pajamas and matching footie's. His slick black guitar was neatly set on his lap as he continued to tune it. The blonde could sit for hours and tune it, just enjoying how it felt in his hands. He smiled to himself, playing some random notes that sounded awful because it was out of tune. Draco chewed on the inside of his lip. Maybe he should stop playing around with it and actually practice. His eyes glanced towards the clock and he let out a small groan at the time.

"I missed breakfast…" Draco mumbled to himself as he stood up, his guitar still in his hands, and started to rummage through his suitcases to find his cloak. He didn't even really _want _to go to class today. He'd prefer sleeping in a little bit. But something kept him from doing so. After Draco found all of his clothes, he just stared at them for a bit. Absent-mindedly, he strummed his fingers across the strings of his guitar, creating a noise that was a little off. He kept doing it as he paced back and forth a little, his muscles relaxing a bit. Draco strummed it harder, creating louder noises, as he rocked out to himself.

"Yeah baby!" Draco said to himself, whirling his hand around and doing a fist-pump. He smiled widely to himself, turning around to go and get ready in the bathroom first. His eyes drifted briefly to the door first, and instantly his face went red.

Crabbe and Goyle have the worst timing.

The two meat-heads just stood there, mouths agape slightly. Crumbs were still present on their shirts from breakfast. Probably toast, but Draco didn't really care.

"How-how long have you been there?" Draco mumbled, his face turning a shade darker. Goyle cleared his throat.

"You weren't at breakfast, so we came to wake you. We came in as you screamed 'Yeah baby!'." Goyle carefully explained. He didn't really want to make Draco angry. The blonde took in a deep breath and sharply let it out, his eyes brows knit together.

"Neither of you saw that." Draco replied, jerkily walking past them and into the bathroom. He defiantly needed to find a new place to practice.

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"Aw Hermoine! I don't want to study!" Ron yelled, earning plenty of mean looks from other students, including the librarian. Hermoine gave him a nasty look like she always did, furrowing her eyebrows together and clenching her jaw tight. Harry just sighed and pretended not to know either of them for five minutes.

"Ron, you have to! Now stop being so lazy." She snapped back. Ron pouted at her, folding his arms together and slumping back into his chair. Harry rolled his eyes.

"Just do what she says, Ron. It'll save us both a lot of pain." Harry said as quietly as he could. He didn't want to be kicked out of the library the first day of school. Ron didn't seem to care.

"You guys can study if you want to. My brain feels like its dying. See you later." Ron shortly said, not even looking at Hermoine as he gathered up his things and left in a haste. At least the librarian looked happy.

"Stupid Hermoine and her… stupid study habits…" Ron mumbled under his breath as he stalked out of the library, steam almost flowing out of his ears. He stomped all the way to the grand staircase, looking rather childish. Thankfully it was almost curfew, so the majority of the students were already in their common rooms. Half way up to the tower, Ron decided to get off at the 4th floor.

"It's not too late… and besides, I'd rather get there after curfew and deal with Hermoine then…" Ron mumbled to himself, nodded to himself. It seemed like the perfect plan; at least to him. The red head strolled through the halls for a bit, stopping at a window. He stood there for a bit, just staring at the scenery. Just below this window was the Whomping Willow, and just beyond that was the lake. It almost looked like glass. Everything from the sky – the stars, the moon, everything – reflected perfectly off the surface of the water. All Ron could do was stare at it.

"Well, better head back." Ron mumbled once again to himself. Just as he was turning to leave, he picked up the faint noise of music. He stopped in his tracks, figuring out right away it was coming from a classroom just a few doors down. Ron turned towards it, taking a few hesitant and quiet steps. After a bit, he stood outside the door that he thought it was coming from and listened and someone began to softly sing.

It wasn't manly singing. Sort of girly, actually. But it seemed to fit the soft music that was filling the hall at the moment. It almost sounded… sad. Or some form of happiness. Ron couldn't really tell. It didn't matter. It was too beautiful to him to care very much. The guitar was in perfect tune, the voice was almost in perfect pitch. Ron had never heard any wizard music like this, so he knew that it _had _to be a Muggle song.

After a few moments it was over, and Ron felt like he should leave. For some reason, he didn't want whoever was playing to find him listening in. The song felt too personal. The red head quickly but quietly moved away from the door and off down the hall, his eyes half closed the entire time.

"I wonder…" Ron said to himself. He didn't even remember getting back to the common room. Or Hermoine yelling at him. He couldn't hear her anyway.

All her could hear was music.

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Not how I wanted to end it, but that's what came out of my brain. Hopefully this was to you guys' standards. So far most of my reviews have been telling me to add more detail. Hopefully that's what I did. I know I'm not a great writer, and I know that it could be better, but I'm doing what I can. I hope that everyone enjoyed it anyway. Please review.


	4. Poor Ron

A/N: I suddenly had inspiration to write the next chapter. I know the last one was not all that great, but that's because I started to feel really bad about myself about halfway through and just wanted to finish it. But I hope that you guys enjoy this one more than the last! Please leave kind reviews!

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"It was probably nothing, Ron."

"But you weren't there, Hermoine!"

"No, I wasn't! Now stop talking about it."

"Why do I even tell you things anymore?" Ron grumbled, folding his arms across his chest and slumping back into his chair. Hermoine scowled as she continued to eat her breakfast. Harry just sat on the other side of the table, trying not to get involved and eating his food quietly. He didn't feel like getting into an argument right at the beginning of the day.

"So…um… did you guys sleep well?" Harry nervously asked, trying to keep the atmosphere light. Hermoine gave him a smile.

"Yes, mostly because I was in the common room on time. Isn't that right, Ron?" Hermoine replied, giving Ron a fake smile then a scowl. Ron felt his ears go red as he furrowed his eyebrows together. His fists were clenched tightly under the table and he swore that he'd hit someone at any moment.

"I'll see you guys later." Ron said in a low voice, quickly getting up from the House Table and grabbing his things. Harry looked like he wanted to protest, but didn't. Ron was ok with that. He'd much rather have Harry say nothing that have him get caught in the wrath of Hermoine as well.

"Bye, mate." Harry feebly said as Ron stormed away and out of the Dining Hall.

"Stupid Hermoine… always pushing me around and telling me what to do… bloody hell…" Ron mumbled to himself, stalking through the halls. He didn't have class for another hour and didn't have anything to do. And he most certainly did not want to go back and be near Hermoine. She really knew what to do to make him angry.

Ron quickly turned a sharp corner, swinging his arms around a little as he did so. Just as he did, someone else rounded the corner at the same time. Ron ran right into them, knocking them both onto the ground. Ron rubbed his face, even though he didn't hit it.

"Watch where you're going next time, Weasly!" An all too familiar voice rang in his ears. Ron scoffed at them, forcing himself to stand up. It took more energy than it should have.

"Hello to you too, Malfoy." Ron grumbled, brushing off his pants and picking up his schoolbag. He glared at Malfoy when he got himself situated, both of their eyebrows furrowing together. Malfoy's face was contorted into a sneer.

"Shove it. Pay attention when you walk." Malfoy snapped. Ron's mood seemed to worsen, if that were possible. The red head reached out, grabbing Malfoy by the collar of his shirt, and forcefully throwing him against the wall next to them. The red head was right in his face right away, his teeth bared and eyes flashing with anger. Malfoy smirked at him, his grey-blue eyes drooping as he did. He put his hands up in front of him in mock defense.

"No need to get violent, Weasly." Draco said a hint of humor in his voice. Ron glared at him, looking from Malfoy's face to his hands. The fingers on both of his hands were slightly calloused, the skin looking very rough compared to the Ferret's normally soft looking skin. Ron didn't even realize how long he had been staring until Malfoy pushed him away.

Malfoy straightened his shirt, a smug look on his face. Without saying a word to each other, the blonde stalked away down the hall towards the Dining Hall. Ron just stood there, an angry pout on his face.

"Whatever." Ron mumbled to himself as he took off in the opposite direction.

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Draco sat down at his House Table, several Slytherin's saying hello but being ignored. Crabbe and Goyle moved over so there was more room for Draco to sit.

'_I'm not even hungry. Why am I here? Bloody hell, I'd rather be playing the guitar right now then sitting with these half-wit blokes. It's a miracle I still talk to any of these guys…' _Draco thought to himself, playing with his bowl of cereal a bit. It was true; hunger never seemed to be around the blonde whenever he felt like playing. It was like some sort of curse.

"So where were you yesterday morning, Malfoy?" A random person at their table asked. Draco looked up, staring at them with confusion. When had this person joined their House? And for how long? Crabbe and Goyle looked at each other with a look of nerves.

"Who the fuck are you?"

"What?"

"Nothing. I didn't feel like eating yesterday." Draco replied. It seemed to please this strange boy. Draco wasn't sure why people were always fascinated with what he did. It just made it that much harder to practice. Or to even take it out.

"Fuck life." Draco mumbled under his breath, not even realizing that he said that out loud. He quickly and briskly stood up from the table, leaving Crabbe and Goyle behind with confused looks as he left the Dining Hall.

Draco rubbed his growling stomach. He was so damn hungry right now. But when he sat down to eat the blonde felt like throwing up rather than eating some delicious pancakes or something. He swore that he was cursed or something like that.

Without a second thought, the teen took off in the direction of his Common Room. Practicing through first period wouldn't hurt him too much. Besides, it was Potions first.

"Yay for being in power." Draco mumbled, quickening his pace a little bit.

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Well, that was a load of shit. It's just one of those filler chapters, you know? I tend to do those a lot. Anyway, I hope that you guys liked it anyway. I was just kind of practicing description a little bit, since you guys left some reviews about that a while back. Please leave a review!


	5. Two Lost Souls

A/N: So, I've been doing a lot of thinking for this chapter. I've noticed that my chapters seem to get shorter and shorter, which I hate. Personally, I really like long chapters. So I'm going to try and make chapters at least 2000 words from now on just to make things longer. Maybe more than that depending on how I feel. Sorry if this chapter seems kind of rushed or slow in some parts. As you guys are reading this, please listen to "Wish You Were Here" by Pink Floyd when it gets to the part where they're playing in the classroom. Please leave a review and tell me what you think!

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"Mr. Malfoy, see me after class." Snape said as the bell rang for the next class. Draco looked up from his cauldron, tightening his jaw a little and chewing on the inside of his mouth. After next class it was lunch, and Draco had skipped out on breakfast _again _for the third morning in a row. Maybe practicing the guitar wasn't worth it. Whatever. Draco abandoned his thoughts as he pushed himself up from his seat and stalked over to Snape at the front of the room. Whatever his teacher wanted to talk about it couldn't be good.

"Yes, professor?" Draco politely said, not really meaning it though. Snape kept his usual glare.

"You missed class yesterday morning. Care to explain?" Snape said in his usual I'm-better-than-everyone-fucktheworld voice. Draco really felt like rolling his eyes at the moment, but that would be very un-Malfoy like. Later he could roll his eyes about it.

"I wasn't feeling very well, sir. I stayed in the common room for the morning." Draco calmly said. He usually didn't get into trouble with Snape, so he wasn't really sure what to say. Snape just narrowed his eyes and sneered at the younger boy.

"Mr. Malfoy, you are fifteen years old. Surely by now you should know when to tell someone when you aren't going to be in class." Snape replied in his low voice. Draco looked away from him, trying not to smile to himself. Actually, in reality, when Draco became nervous he usually smiled to himself. But now was not the right time.

"Yes, sir. I apologize and it won't happen again." Draco quickly said. He wanted to get out of there before the bell rang, for once. Even though he had Transfiguration next, which he did _not _like with all those Gryffindor people. And that stupid Harry Potter. The Boy-Who-Just-Won't-Die-Already. Agh.

"Go to class, Mr. Malfoy." Snape said, sneering at him. Draco nodded his head and turned to walk out of the classroom, the bell ringing right as he did so. He growled to himself and could practically feel Snape smiling behind him. What a creepy feeling.

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"Mr. Malfoy, you're late. Ten points from Slytherin." Professor McGonagall practically shouted as Draco walked into the room. About half the class looked over at him (mostly Gryffindor people) while the other half didn't really seem to care. It _was _the very first week of school.

Draco felt his face flush a little as he rushed to his seat, not even apologizing to the teacher. He just sat down, got his notebook out, and pretended to pay attention. Just like everyone else. What a shock. Draco rested his head on his hand, staring off into space and looking quite bored.

On the other side of the room, Ron was trying to pay attention so Hermoine would stop nagging at him.

"Ron, did you write that down? Are you getting all of these?" Hermoine kept saying every few seconds. After a while even Harry gave up trying to take notes. He just sat there with a very annoyed expression on his face.

"Ron, are you-?"

"Hermoine, will you shut up?!"

Harry scooted away from his two friends as the whole class turned and looked at them. McGonagall stopped in mid sentence, staring at Ron and Hermoine with wide eyes behind her half-moon glasses. She blinked several times.

"Is there a problem, Mr. Weasly and Mrs. Granger?" The professor asked in her shaky, high pitched mouse voice. Ron felt his ears burn bright red as he stared at the desk. Hermoine shook her head several times, but said nothing.

"Having trouble in paradise, Weasly?" Draco mumbled, but since the class was so quiet it sounded like he was screaming. At least to Ron. A few people, even from his House, snickered at the comment. Ron felt his face go red and Hermoine started to stutter to herself.

"Ten more points from Slytherin, Mr. Malfoy. And ten from Gryffindor for disrupting class. Now, back to work!" McGonagall called out, pointing to an assignment that she had surely explained but was written on the bored anyway. Ron felt his temper flare slightly as Hermoine cleared her throat and turned towards him.

"Want to study with Harry and me at the library tonight?" Hermoine asked, not looking Ron straight in the eye. Ron looked past her to Harry, who was shaking his head and mouthing 'no'.

"Not after you embarrassed us in front of the whole class." Ron mumbled. It was loud enough for Hermoine to catch it.

"Excuse me, but it was _you _who screamed! I was just trying to make sure you got your work done." Hermoine snapped back. Harry let out a rather loud sigh that both of his friends ignored.

"I would have written down all of my notes if you weren't breathing down my neck every five seconds!" Ron shouted back at her. By now no one seemed to care that they were fighting. Harry was used to it by now, actually.

"Harry, switch seats with me right now." Hermoine growled at their innocent friend. Harry just nodded his head and mumbled something to her that Ron didn't catch. Not like he cared all that much at the moment.

On the other side of the room, Draco was still staring off into space.

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Ron sat at his House table at dinner, sifting through his food with a fork. His cheeks were puffed out slightly in a pout as Hermoine talked _at _him, not _to _him. Everyone could tell just by looking at the three that it was uncomfortable place to be. This is why everyone stayed away from them.

"Fine, Hermoine, I'll go to the stupid library with you! Bloody hell…" Ron finally snapped, caving into her constant nagging. She grinned to herself for a second before returned to her glare.

"I'm glad to know that Ron. We should probably go now, right Harry?" Hermoine questioned, turning towards Harry. Harry let some food fall out of mouth in a very unattractive way, just staring at her.

"Um… sure."

"Good, let's go." Hermoine harshly said, not even waiting for the two boys to reply. She got up from the table, practically running out of the Dining Hall. Ron looked at Harry, who just stared at him back. They both let out a long sigh at the same time.

"I guess we better go." Harry said, pushing himself up.

"Righto." Ron replied, following after him.

"Agh I hate her!" Ron screamed to himself as he left the library. You could hear his stomps all throughout the castle.

When Harry and Ron met up with Hermoine in the library, she yelled at them to get some book that she named off. After that, Ron asked what they were doing, since he wasn't able to get the notes during class. With that "remark", Hermoine started to yell at the poor red head even more, saying it was his fault for not paying attention in class. That literally went on for twenty minutes. After calming down, they started to work. Hermoine, on the other hand, just kept nagging and nagging for about an hour before Ron yelled at her and stormed out of there.

At least, that's how it happened to Ron. So that must mean he's right.

Ron had intended to go straight to the Common Room and up to bed, but as he passed the same floor from the other night on the Grand Staircase, he got off. Something just told him that going there would be a better idea than going to the Common Room. And hopefully, whoever was there the night before might be there again. Hopefully…

The red head wandered around that floor for a short while, becoming very quiet when he came up to that same classroom. Carefully, Ron sat down on the floor next to the wall and scooted over so he was sitting right outside the door. He got himself comfortable, waiting for something to happen.

_Hermoine better not yell at me when I get back or I swear to God… _Ron thought as he heard come shuffling around from inside the empty classroom. Ron relaxed against the door as he heard scratchy guitar start to play followed by someone singing a little bit later.

"_So, so you think you can tell Heaven from Hell,  
blue skies from pain.  
Can you tell a green field from a cold steel rail?  
A smile from a veil?  
Do you think you can tell?  
And did they get you to trade your heroes for ghosts?  
Hot ashes for trees?  
Hot air for a cool breeze?  
Cold comfort for change?  
And did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage?"_

Ron felt an odd sense of emptiness as he listened to the song. Their voice, like last time, was higher pitched than most men's, but was still obviously a man's voice. It sounded so sad, the guitar and the voice, as they played in perfect harmony.

_"How I wish, how I wish you were here.  
We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl, year after year,  
Running over the same old ground.  
What have you found? The same old fears.  
Wish you were here."_

There was a moment of sad guitar music, which slowly faded off. Ron sat there, his legs stretched in front of him, feeling the smallest he'd ever felt in his life. The song was so sad to him and touched him deep in his heart. It almost brought tears to his eyes, just listening. He wasn't really sure why, though, since the red head wasn't even sure what the song was about.

A few moments later, Ron heard the person tuning their guitar and playing around a bit. It was that point Ron decided to leave. It was getting late anyway. Carefully and quietly, Ron moved away from the door, and then slowly stood up. He slowly walked down the hall, more careful than he had been the other night. It just seemed… wrong, after that song, to make so much noise.

Ron crept onto the Grand Staircase, sure that by now it was past curfew. Not too much, though, since there was still a student or two wandering around that weren't prefects.

It made him feel much calmer.

---

"Hey, mate, you're back a little late." Harry said as Ron slinked into the Common Room. Ron was still in his daze and stumbled into a chair as he walked towards Harry.

"You ok there?" Harry questioned a slight laugh escaping. Ron lazily nodded his head.

"Yeah…"

"You know, Hermoine is going to kill you when she finds out that you were late again." Harry stated. That shook Ron out of his daze for a few minutes. He looked at Harry and glared at him.

"You better not tell her. I can't stand another day like today." Ron grumbled. Harry snorted at him.

"I won't tell her." Harry mumbled, turning back to his Muggle book that he was reading. Ron hadn't even noticed it.

Then again, he doesn't notice a lot of things.

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There! That took me all night to write! I do hope that it was ok for you guys! Didn't quite make 2000 words, but pretty close. Chapters from now on will be this long. Or close to it. I'm tired of doing crappy short chapters. Anyway, to stay posted on how this story is going, just look at my page on here. I update there a lot. Please leave a review!


	6. It's Just Overkill

A/N: I was so happy with how my last chapter turned out; I think that I'll do another one. I'm just trying to do as much as I can before I have to go to camp on Saturday. Agh, it's stressful. I have so much to do this week I might only do this chapter and maybe another one. Crunch time. Anyway, I've realized that I have not been putting disclaimers. Jeez. I don't own any part of Harry Potter, or any of the songs used in the story. There. Anyway, please enjoy this chapter and leave a review! By the way, the song used is "Overkill" by Colin Hayes. Listen to it at the part.

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Ron lay in his bed, staring at the ceiling.

Thankfully Harry hadn't told Hermoine about being late again. At least, so far he hadn't. After coming back and talking to Harry for a bit, Ron went straight to bed. His bed had never felt so comfortable and warm in his life. The red head slept like a rock. But the second he woke up for breakfast, all Ron could do was think about that song. It brought back that empty feeling, and suddenly the red head wasn't hungry any more. Everyone had left without checking on him, even Harry. Surely it was about time for class, but Ron couldn't even find the energy to get out of bed.

So he just stayed in bed, only in boxers and an undershirt. His robes were in a pile on top of his trunk at the end of his bed. It was almost too quiet for Ron, and soon he started to fidget.

"Might as well get up…" Ron said under his breath, pushing the blankets off of him and practically falling out of bed. Stuff like this in the morning took too much energy.

Ron sat on the floor, staring at a very interesting part of the floor, thinking about the song. He'd never heard it before. He didn't even know who it was by. But for some reason, it tug at his heart. Like it would be important later on in life. Or not. Ron wasn't really sure.

It was only when the bell rang for first class did Ron scramble to get dressed.

---

Draco lay in his bed, staring at the ceiling.

The blonde was tired, even though he'd slept perfectly well that night. Maybe he was just playing the guitar too much. Draco tended to do that. Especially when school started. Everything was just way too stressful. The song that he had last played annoyed Draco. He hadn't put his everything into it, like he usually did, and it was getting on his nerves.

Actually, what the blonde did was just play the last song that he had heard. Muggle "iPods" can be a wonder to him, even though he'd secretly had his for almost a year now (of course he bewitched it so that it would work in Hogwarts). It was better than listening to radio, though. Easier to back track and listen to a song again.

Even if Draco had just played a random song, it still wouldn't leave his mind. Like that song held some secret importance or something. He couldn't put his finger on it. Draco guessed, when he remembered the lyrics, that it did remind him of a few years back. Back when he first started to play…

"None of that, now." Draco said to himself in a sleepy voice. He pushed the blankets off of him as he swung his legs over the side of the bed. Draco ruffled the back of his hair as he scratched the back of his head. The day felt like it was going to be a long one.

Draco looked around the room, noticing that no one was around. What time was it? Hopefully not after breakfast. Snape would _kill _him if he was late again. Ugh.

Draco shuffled his feet as he got ready for the day, taking his time as he did.

---

"Harry, we're partners, right?" Ron said the second Snape stopped talking and told them to work. Harry nervously smiled as Hermoine huffed and puffed behind him.

"Sorry, Ron. Hermoine already called dibs." Harry awkwardly replied. Ron felt his whole body sag as Harry and Hermoine moved away from him. Ron looked around the room, seeing that mostly everybody had a partner already. Maybe he'd have to work by himself for once…

"Mr. Weasly, do you have a partner?" Snape suddenly said, too close to Ron for comfort. The red head moved away, turning around and nervously rubbing his arm.

"N-no, sir." Ron replied. Snape raised an eyebrow and sneered at him.

"Well, Mr. Malfoy doesn't have one either. Now get to work." Snape hotly replied. Ron could feel his face fall and glared at Snape when his back turned around. Ron looked around the room, his eyes falling on Draco. He sighed, gathering his things and reluctantly moving across the room to where Draco was sitting. When the blonde saw him, his face immediately hardened.

"What are you doing over here?" Draco asked, not really sounding interested. Ron pouted, throwing his stuff down on the floor.

"We're partners. Now get some stuff out." Ron grumbled, taking out his textbook and flipping to the right page. Draco sat there, looking rather confused for a bit.

"What… are we supposed to be doing?" Draco slowly asked, a light blush on his face. Ron rolled his eyes and glared at the blonde. Draco forced himself to not look away from the red head.

"Weren't you listening?"

"No." Draco flatly replied. He knew that he should have come up with a wittier, more charming response. But the Slytherin was still getting out of day dream mode. Thinking was too much of a task right now.

"Next time listen, will ya? Just look at the textbook." Ron almost snapped. It wasn't quite harsh enough to be one. All the red head really wanted to do was get through class and make it to lunch. Then, just maybe, he could make up some excuse in the Hospital Wing about having a migraine or something. He just did not want to be in class with Hermoine all day. She'd just take Harry for a partner and end up being with Draco all day. And that did _not _sound like fun to Ron at the moment.

"We've done this potion a thousand times already." Draco mumbled to himself. He hated doing the same thing over and over again just to make a teacher happy. It was dumb, actually. Ron snorted at him.

"Stop being a prat and just do it." Ron grumbled back. Draco felt his temper flare for a second. He hadn't said anything to offend anyone. At least, that he remembered in the past few minutes. It made him angry that Ron would just say something like that.

"I'm not being a prat. I just don't want to do this." Draco replied, leaning back in his stool and pouting. _That's right Draco. Just act like you don't care even though you do. Showing emotion isn't a Slytherin thing, you know. _Draco thought. He usually didn't have those thoughts in public, just by himself. It made him feel sad underneath his anger.

"Well, you have to, Malfoy." Ron snapped back, this time harsh. He added a special hint of venom when it came to Draco's name. And he made sure the other boy had heard it.

"What's your problem, Weasly? I didn't do anything." Draco said frustration clear as he spoke. They hadn't even started on their potion and most of the class was already almost done. Which just seemed to piss the both of them off even more.

"My _problem _is that we have to work together!" Ron yelled back at him. Draco furrowed his eyebrows together and clenched his teeth.

"Just do the damn assignment, Weasly! I haven't done anything to you!" Draco yelled back, standing up from his stool and double checking that his wand was in his pocket. This might get ugly if Draco felt like it.

"Then stop being Mr. Prat-That-Never-Shows-Any-Emotion-And-Does-Everything-To-Please-His-Parents!" Ron snapped back. Draco felt the wave of anger before his mind even registered the emotion. Without thinking about his wand, the blonde grabbed the nearest thing to him and threw it right at Ron's head. Which so happened to be the potion cauldron.

Everyone in the class turned as the cauldron hit the other table behind Ron. The red head had ducked out of the way, and as he came back up to scream a spell at Draco, his textbook came flying at him and hit him in the chest. And hard. It knocked the wind right out of Ron.

"Don't talk to me like you know me, you poor excuse for a Pureblood!" Draco screamed – in a manly way, of course – and turned around while grabbing his backpack. Without even looking at Snape, or anyone for that matter, Draco stalked out of the dungeon/classroom. Even the dumbest people in the room (Crabbe and Goyle) could feel the rage seeping out of Draco long after he left the room.

A few moments of silence followed as everyone just stared at Ron. Shortly after the bell rang and everyone but Ron, Harry and Hermoine started to chatter amongst themselves as they left for the next class.

"Twenty points from Gryffindor, Mr. Weasly." Snape called as Ron scrambled to leave the room. The red head didn't even have the energy to be angry.

---

Two weeks. It had been two weeks since the little incident in Potions. And the entire time, Ron hadn't even seen Draco. Sure, he was probably in classes. But it wasn't like Ron cared all that much.

For those two weeks, that strange person hadn't been playing either. All that came out of that classroom was experimental sounds and extra tuning. The entire two weeks, Ron had made it back to the Common Room before curfew was over. How not exciting.

Ron quietly got comfortable on the floor right by the door. His usual spot. How odd was it to say that? Ron didn't even know who was playing. He almost hoped that he never would.

Right as Ron thought that, the person in the room started to play a fast but calming melody. The red head stopped thinking.

" _I can't get to sleep  
I think about the implications  
Of diving in too deep  
And possibly the complications_

Especially at night  
I worry over situations  
I know I'll be alright  
Perhaps it's just imagination

Day after day it reappears  
Night after night my heartbeat shows the fear  
Ghosts appear and fade away

Alone between the sheets  
Only brings exasperation  
It's time to walk the streets  
Smell the desperation

At least there's pretty lights  
And though there's little variation  
It nullifies the night from overkill

Day after day it reappears  
Night after night my heartbeat shows the fear  
Ghosts appear and fade away  
Come back another day."

The guitar solo sounded smooth and calm but sad all at the same time. It astounded Ron how that sort of combination of emotions was possible. The voice was also the same, but a few pitches deeper. Ron guessed it was to match the song. He sighed, relaxing and leaning against the wall behind them as the person inside continued on. __

"I can't get to sleep  
I think about the implications  
Of diving in too deep  
And possibly the complications

Especially at night  
I worry over situations  
I know I'll be alright  
It's just overkill

Day after day it reappears  
Night after night my heartbeat shows the fear  
Ghosts appear and fade away  
Ghosts appear and fade away  
Ghosts appear and fade away."

The chords gently faded out along with the voice. Instead of having that empty feeling like the last song, Ron felt rather confused. The lyrics didn't make sense in his brain. But for some reason, it left a flag in Ron's head. Like he knew, this time for sure, that this song was going to be important one day. He couldn't put it into words.

With a yawn and a stretch of his arms, Ron moved to get up. Right as he was about to fully stretch out, the end of his robes got caught under the heel of his shoe. Before Ron could even catch himself, he felt himself falling forward – and fast – towards the hard and cold ground. Which would for sure make a sound.

_Fuck everything _was all Ron could think before he hit the ground, letting out a loud noise that he couldn't even describe. Worst situation ever.

"Is someone out there?" A concerned voice called out. It sounded so familiar, so familiar… Ron couldn't put his finger on it. So instead, he just stayed silent, his shoulder and arm throbbing in pain.

"Who's there?" They called again. It sounded a bit harsher. A bell was going off in Ron's brain. Who was it…?

"Whoever it is, can you please leave? I don't like people listening to me." They requested. On felt himself frown. It would have been nice if they had offered to help him…

Without saying anything, Ron got up, not bothering to be quiet anymore. The guy knew that he was here, so why be quiet? Agh, if only Ron had been more careful! Now the person was going to find out who he was and track him down during school and hex him or something and then-

Before Ron even knew it, he was back in the Common Room. It was odd, being one place and then another without realizing that you had moved.

He shouldn't day dream while walking.

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Wow, that chapter was a doozie! It was a bit longer than I thought that it would be, but not like I mind. Anyway, sorry that it doesn't make a whole lot of sense. I started it when I was sad and then finished when I was happy. Sorry about that. Anyway, please leave a review! I'll try to have another one up soon!


	7. How Come It's So Hard?

A/N: So, this chapter is going to be a bit rushed because I leave for camp tomorrow and I haven't done any of my packing yet. But I really want to get another one done to leave you guys with something. Anyway, I do hope that you guys have enjoyed this story so far. I now it doesn't have much of a point **yet **but it will soon. Stuff like this takes time.** The song used is Better Together by Jack Johnson. Listen to it at the part.** Anyway, please leave a kind review!

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Ron lay in his bed, staring at the ceiling and an extremely blank expression on his face.

The red head hadn't been back to that classroom in a week. A week. Ron wasn't even sure if the person was still even playing there. He was way too nervous to go back and find out. What if they came out and found out it was him? Then, depending on who it was, would hex him into oblivion. That didn't sound fun to Ron at all.

Ron wasn't really sure why he was so nervous about that person finding out it was him. Really, Ron could defend himself. It just… racked his nerves when he thought about it. Thinking back on the songs, they sounded so personal. Way too personal for someone to listen in on. Like they were meant for the player's ears only.

Ron growled, scratching the back of his head as he sat up in bed. All of this was too confusing to him. It really wasn't, but to Ron it was.

Now that Ron thought about it, Draco had been abnormally quiet in classes…

"Don't think about that twit!" Ron yelled at himself, pushing back the covers and jumping out of bed. His calm mood was ruined now.

---

Potions class was oddly easy today. All they had to do for that class was make an antidote to… something. Ron wasn't really paying attention. After a while he learned to just follow the instruction in his textbook and not to ask questions. Luckily today, Ron was able to snag Harry before Hermoine. The two of them were still at it (more like Hermoine yelling at a not-caring Ron). So, Ron and his best mate were currently working at a table far away from Hermoine.

"Hermione's still mad at you?" Harry asked, but it sounded more like a statement to Ron. The red head snorted and rolled his eyes.

"She's the last thing on my mind right now." Ron mumbled back, earning an odd look from Boy Wonder. Ron felt himself blush slightly.

"So…?" Harry started, leaning towards Ron and raising an eyebrow.

"You know that person I've been listening to? With the guitar?" Ron said, trying his best not to sound dumb.

"Yeah. What about them?" Harry replied, only sounding half interested as he chopped something that looked like a finger.

"Well… about a week ago, after their song, I was getting up and… well, tripped on my robes…" Ron sheepishly said. Harry snorted out a laugh, covering his mouth with his free hand.

"You did _what_?" Harry questioned with a goofy smile. Ron pouted and glared at him.

"It's not like I meant to! I was just trying to leave, but then I fell! But, that's not really what's bothering me…" Ron trialed. Harry let his smile falter and stared at Ron.

"Then what is?" Harry asked, pouring some black liquid into the potion cauldron. Ron squirmed in his seat, really hoping that he wouldn't sound dumb.

"Well… when I fell, they called out and was like 'Who's there?'. But, when I think about the voice, it feels like I know it. Like… I've heard it several times before. But that doesn't make any sense, does it? It was too kind and gentle and… caring." Ron said, really just thinking out loud towards the end. Harry stopped working on the potion, staring at Ron with wide eyes and his mouth open slightly. It made Ron feel uncomfortable.

"Do you think that you know them?" Harry said, clearing his throat slightly. It made him feel old. Ron leaned forward on his arm, resting his head on his hand. A far off day dream look came over his face.

"Probably not. Maybe. I don't know, really." Ron replied, not caring that Harry was giving him another odd look. You get used to things like that when you have a best friend.

Across the room, Draco had the same day dream face.

---

Halloween was about a week away. Ron was looking forward to it, actually. He liked the Halloween feast and all the candy and just having fun. It was a bit relaxing, really.

Ron also still hadn't been back to the classroom. He didn't know if he'd ever be able to go back there. It was just way too… awkward for him. For the same reasons as before. Even though Harry was constantly bugging him about it, Ron still wouldn't go back.

"Come on, Ron! Just go tonight! What have you got to lose?" Harry shouted at Ron for the tenth time today. For the first time in his life, Ron was seriously considering hitting Harry.

"Because! What if he-!"

"He?"

"Yes, he! Now let me finish. What if he comes out into the hallway and is like 'Hey there, I don't want you here' and hexes me or something! It could be someone in a higher year!" Ron yelled, grabbing the sides of his head and groaning. Harry rolled his eyes.

"You'll never know unless you try." He said, smiling softly at his troubled friend. Ron pouted.

---

"Just go Ron."

"No!"

"Go, now!" Harry screamed in Ron's ear as he pushed him off of the Grand Staircase and leaving Ron on that floor. _That _floor. It was currently a few days before Halloween and just a bit before curfew. Which Ron actually wanted to make this time because Hermoine was _finally _being civil with him. Which took a while.

"Harry!" Ron screamed up at Harry, who was slowly moving away from him.

"Just go, Ron! Nothing bad will happen!" Harry yelled back and flashed Ron a thumbs up. The red head just gave him a glare.

Turning away from Harry and the Staircase, Ron took a deep breath and a few steps forward down the hall. It was nerve racking and scary and just plain stupid. Why was Ron doing this? He could always wait for the Staircase to pick him up. But… a small part of him really wanted to see if that person was still there. And maybe they would talk to him again. Maybe, just maybe…

Before Ron knew it, he was in front of that classroom again. He heard some noises from inside, but he figured it was the wind or ghosts or some rats. Then he heard what sounded like a guitar note, and his heart almost came out of his throat. Hopefully they didn't notice that he was there.

"Is anyone out there?" That calm voice shouted, sounding curious and a little hopeful. Ron swallowed the lump in his throat and cleared it.

"Ah-um… yes." Ron feebly replied. He heard a sigh and shuffling of what he guessed was feet.

"Surprised that you came back. I didn't think that you would." They replied, sounding a little harsh with their words. Ron pouted.

"I didn't want to but… you know." Ron replied, sounding incredibly lame. But he didn't want to tell them that Harry had made him. Not only would that give away who he was, it would also tell the person that he _told _someone. Which would be bad, in Ron's mind.

"No, I don't. Why did you even start to listen? I'm not even that great of a musician." They said back, sounding doubtful and sad in their words. Ron desperately wanted to go into the classroom and tell them otherwise, but he guessed that he could do it from here.

"That's not true! I've… never heard music like that. Ever, in my entire life. And I'm being truthful. You shouldn't stop just because I'm here." Ron said, biting his tongue when he was done. He wished he hadn't just said whatever came to his mind.

"Whatever, I'm just an amateur." The said with a snort. That snort aggravated Ron to no end. It reminded him of someone… someone… but who…?

"I mean it. You should keep playing. Just pretend that I'm not here." Ron defiantly said, sitting down on the ground with a loud 'thud'. It was quiet for a little bit. How awkward.

"Can you promise me something, though?" The person asked. Their voice was small and fragile and nervous sounding. Ron didn't like it.

"What is it?"

"Just… don't tell anyone. And don't come in here! I don't want you to know who I am." The person said in a rush of words. Ron was almost offended by this statement, but then he remembered that he didn't want to be found out either.

"Yeah, I promise. No need to worry." The red head replied, a light smile on his face. It made him happy, for some reason.

"I… don't have anything to play. Not good, anyway. Just some random stuff…" The person mumbled. Ron almost didn't catch the nervousness and embarrassment in their voice, it was so quiet. Ron just smiled to himself more.

"Don't worry. So far everything has been great." Ron said, the last part a little quieter. He hoped that they didn't hear it. He heard rustling from inside.

"Ok… here it goes."

It started with a few notes, very calming and relaxing.

"_There's no combination of words  
I could put on the back of a postcard  
No song that I could sing  
But I can try for your heart,  
our dreams, and they are made out of real things  
like a shoebox of photographs  
with sepia-toned loving  
Love is the answer  
at least for most of the questions in my heart, like  
Why are we here? And where do we go?  
And how come it's so hard?  
It's not always easy and  
sometimes life can be deceiving  
I'll tell you one thing, it's always better when we're together_

Mmmm, It's always better when we're together  
Yeah we'll look at the stars and we're together  
Well, it's always better when we're together  
Yeah it's always better when we're together

And all of these moments  
just might find their way into my dreams tonight,  
But I know that they'll be gone  
when the morning light sings  
and brings new things  
for tomorrow night you see  
that they'll be gone too,  
too many things I have to do  
But if all of these dreams might find their way  
into my day to day scene  
I'd be under the impression  
i was somewhere in between  
With only two,  
Just me and you,  
Not so many things we got to do  
or places we got to be  
We'll sit beneath the mango tree, now,

Yeah It's always better when we're together  
Mmmm, we're somewhere in between together  
Well, it's always better when we're together  
Yeah, it's always better when we're together

Ron let out a sigh of happiness. The song was so relaxing and calming. The only thing that was bothering him was how nervous and unsure the person sounded. It made Ron feel sad.

_  
I believe in memories  
they look so, so pretty when I sleep  
Hey now, and when I wake up,  
you look so pretty sleeping next to me  
But there is not enough time,  
There is no, no song I could sing  
and there is no combination of words I could say  
but I will still tell you one thing  
We're Better together."_

The notes faded along with his voice. Ron squirmed under the uncomfortable silence that followed. It was way too awkward and nerve racking. He heard shuffling from the classroom.

"So… what did you think?" The voice asked. It was shaky and nervous sounding. Ron looked at his feet, trying to find the right words to say.

"It was… amazing. Really, it was. You sounded so nervous though…" Ron honestly replied. He heard some movement in the classroom, like someone was getting off a table or something. It made the red head feel a bit nervous.

"That's because I don't play in front of people." They replied. He sounded a little relived, though. Ron felt the same.

"Oh…" Ron said. It was all he could say. He smiled, nonetheless. It made him happy to know that this person would play in front of him. _Him_, of all people. Ron, who people thought was a stumbling, blubbering idiot. Ron, who was always goofy and never took anything serious.

"I probably won't play anything else, if you want to go." The person kindly said. Ron spread his legs out in front of him, smiling.

"I think I'll stay."

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I felt really cheesy and corny the whole time writing this. Ah well. It needs to be done. It's moving way too slow for my taste, personally. Anyway, this chapter on Word is six pages long. YAY. I do hope that everyone liked it. And listened to the song. It's a really good song. I probably won't have another chapter until after camp, so until then enjoy what you've got!


	8. Anywhere But Here

A/N: Wow! Sorry for the long wait everyone! I do hope that everyone enjoyed the last few chapters. And please enjoy this one! Camp was a lot of fun, but if you want to hear about it go read it on my profile. By the way, I guess Tom Felton really does play the guitar! **Dreams of **sent me a message telling me about it. Look him up on YouTube. His profile name is **feltbeats**. He's actually really good. So from now on, when Draco sings, picture that. Anyway, **I don't know how long this is. **For the last four hundered words or something, I had to use a program on my dad's computer that **doesn't have word count or spell check. **So I'm sorry about that. Anyway, please leave a reveiw!

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Ron had never felt more content in his life.

The strange person that played guitar still did for him. It was now a week after Halloween, and every night Ron would go to that classroom. And every night that person would play for him. He didn't always have a song prepared, or a whole lot to say, but he would still play a random tune for the red head. Which Ron enjoyed very much.

It was still odd to him, though. Why this person would play for him. They just… gave in so easily. Ron had expected at least a little argument. But they just gave up and gave in. Not that Ron minded. Every night he was able to talk to someone and listen to music. What could get better than that? Not a whole lot, in Ron's mind.

The red head was currently in Potions class, half paying attention to Snape as he lectured them about… something. Something important… but Ron really couldn't care less. It was just 'wahwahwah' to him. Like that one cartoon his father showed him, with the dog and the bird and that bald kid that always got rocks on Halloween. Yeah, like that.

Ron sighed, forcing himself to keep his eyes open. It was very difficult. All around the room, everyone was in the same state. Except for Hermoine, of course.

Even Draco was like that.

---

"So, you've been going each night?" Harry asked as he shoveled some bread into his mouth. Ron quickly looked around the table.

"Where's Hermoine?"

"At the library." Harry replied, continuing to eat. Ron let out a sigh of relief.

"Ok. Then, yeah, I have. I wish that you could hear it, Harry. The music, I mean. It's wonderful." Ron said in a rush of words, his ears turning pink from embarrassment. Harry smiled.

"Maybe sometime I could tag along." The brunette said. Ron face fell slightly, his eyes dropping to the table. Harry raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

"Well… he said-."

"Wait, wait, wait. You _talked _to him?! That's huge, Ron!" Harry excitedly said. Ron tried to smile, but it looked more like a grimace. Harry didn't notice.

"Well, yeah. But I made a promise, Harry. He doesn't like to play in front of people. And the only reason he's playing in front of me is because I promised not to come in the room." Ron quietly said, his ears burning bright red. Actually saying their promise out loud sounded odd and, well, dumb to Ron now. Like it was the kind of thing that only happened in movies.

"You can't break a promise, now can you?" Harry said, a little humor in his voice. He tilted his head to the side in mock thought as Ron pouted at him.

"No, I can't! Don't make fun of me." Ron murmured, puffing his cheeks out a bit. Harry just smiled at him, small and almost sad like.

"You know, ever since this guitar-playing thing came along, you've been calmer." Harry said in a quiet voice. He looked away from Ron, that small smile still on his face.

"What?" Ron asked, but both he and Harry knew that they heard. Harry snapped his head back up and goofily smiled at Ron, rubbing the back of his head.

"N-nothing. Ready for class?" Harry awkwardly said. Ron raised an eyebrow, but nodded anyway.

---

"Where do you find all of your music?" Ron asked, readjusting himself on the floor. It had been a week since their promise, and it was starting to get cold outside. Which meant the castle would be cold. Great. The red head heard some shuffling from inside, then a cough.

"It's all Muggle music." The replied. Ron felt his mouth fall open.

"Eh?! Really?! Jeez, I didn't Muggle could write such wonderful stuff. How did you find it all?" Ron asked, letting his excitement show. The air became a little thick with his question, but Ron pushed past that.

"I… wonder around London a lot." They awkwardly said, sounding really uncomfortable. Even though it was awkward and heavy, they still sounded kind and genuine. And Ron liked that. That someone could still be so nice even when they were uncomfortable.

"Really? I hardly go there, but it's nice when we do." Ron mused to himself, letting his thought wander for a little bit. It was quiet as Ron heard some movement, and then a foot step or two towards the door.

"Have you ever listened to an iPod?" They suddenly asked. Ron furrowed his eyebrows, chew on his lip.

"A what?" He said after a minute. He heard a snort and a small laugh. That snort annoyed the red head. Again, it sent an alarm off in the back of his head. Who… who was it…?

"Sorry, I'm not that surprised. It's Muggle technology. They're quite interesting, actually. Here" They said, a small laugh escaping them. Before Ron knew it, a small rectangle shaped object with wire poking out of it came flying at him out of the doorway.

"What… what is that?" Ron stumbled over his words, sounding slightly afraid. Another laugh from the classroom.

"That's an iPod." They replied. Ron stared at it for a moment before reaching toward it and nervously grabbing it. It was cold in his hand. When Ron brought it closer to him, he saw that it was lime green. A shocking lime green with black pen drawings all over it. Most of them were little scribbles, but on the back of it were words. Ron guessed that they were lyrics of some sort. He couldn't read them, it was too dark.

"What are these… wire things coming out of it?" Ron awkwardly asked. He sounded so dumb right now.

"Those are head phones. They're really small ones. You just put the end of them in your ear and the music comes out." They replied in that way too kind voice. Ron ignored it was he put on of the buds in his ear.

"…Where's the music?" Ron asked, sounding slightly annoyed. Another laugh came from the person.

"You have to press play. You see the circle thing on the front?" They questioned. Ron looked at it.

"…Yes."

"Press the button that has the little arrow." They said. Ron did so and immediately music poured into his ear. _Loud _music. He screamed, ripping it out of his ear and throwing the bud away from him.

"What in bloody hell was that?!" He yelled, scared to even touch the thing now. Laughter erupted from the classroom. Beautiful, pure, happy laughter. Ron blushed to himself as the person in the classroom forced himself to calm down.

"You have to turn down the volume." They said with a chuckle. The red head scratched his head.

"How do I do that?"

"You can figure it out."

---

Ron had never been more relaxed in his life.

Things had been going to well. Hermoine wasn't nagging at him, for once in his life. He was _somehow _staying caught up in his classes. He'd been listening to the most amazing music in his life. In real life and on an iPod.

The iPod that the person had given him had strange music. At least, for a boy. The music seemed it would fit a girl. But then again, it was Muggle music. So Ron couldn't judge anything. He wanted to ask Hermoine what some of this music meant, but that would mean breaking his promise. Ron was already walking a fine line by telling Harry about it. And telling Hermoine would be a bad idea anyway.

"Get to work on your potion." Snape called across the classroom, sneering at everyone. No one seemed to notice, though. Ron smiled to himself, turning to Harry.

"We got this, right Harry?" He asked, turning his smile down a bit. It was creeping Harry out. The brunette looked away from Ron, frowning.

"Sorry, mate. I promised Hermoine that we'd work together today." Harry sadly replied. Ron kept his smile, though.

"Ok, um… sure thing." Ron said as he turned away from Harry and looked around the room. Everyone seemed to have a partner by now, which made Ron a little sad. Snape didn't even notice that he was without one. Everyone was working happily together on this stupid potion. Everyone except for _him_.

_Fuck my life. Fuck everything. God, just kill me now. _Ron thought as he gathered his things and walked across the room. To _him_. That stupid blonde with that stupid smirk and that stupid God complex and-

"What do you want, Weasly?" Draco asked as Ron threw his things on the ground. Way to be grown up.

"You're the only person left in class." The red head mumbled, pouting to himself. Draco couldn't help but think that Ron looked like a little kid. A very immature little kid. The kind that parents just give up on and end up being people that really hate themselves. Yeah, that kind.

"Ok." Draco replied. Ron glared at him, not liking the tone of voice he used. The blonde just pissed him off for little reasons.

"So let's get to work." Ron snapped. Draco rolled his eyes and moved away from the red head.

"... What are we doing?" Draco sheepishly said, not looking at Ron. Was it his fault this class was so boring? Ron stared at the blonde, a really annoying look on his face.

"You weren't paying attention?"

"No." Draco snapped back. He didn't mean to, but the red head's pissy mood was making him pissy. Not a fun situation.

"Why don't you ever pay attention?" Ron asked, more to himself rather than Draco. Draco glared at him and forced himself to keep his mouth shut. Making another scene in class was not what he wanted to do. Not right now.

"We might as well start on... whatever we're doing." Draco said, trying to stay polite, trying to stay calm. Barley.

"We're making a drought of some sort." Ron mused to himself, flipping his book open and thumbing through the pages. Draco just wanted to hit him right now.

"What kind?" Draco asked after Ron stopped looking through his book. He asumed he was on the right page. The red head looked at him and just glared, his mouth pressed together tight.

"Look at your own book." He said, turning back to his. Draco felt his temper flare for a second. This was getting hard.

"I don't have mine." He replied, speaking slowly. The blonde saw Ron's ears go very red. Very, very red.

"Why not?" Ron growled at him. Draco ignored the question.

"Why in bloody hell are you so angry? I haven't done anything." Draco said. He tried to keep his face blank, but he was sure that some amount of anger showed through. Which didn't seem to please Ron very much.

"Because I'd rather be any where but here right now." Ron replied through clenched teeth. Draco furrowed his eyebrows together. Quickly, without any warning, he reached out and grabbed Ron's bag from the floor. In a swift movement, he threw it a ways from the table. As it flew across the floor, something fell out of the bag. It was small and unusual looking, but Draco didn't waste time looking at it. It was probably nothing important.

"Then leave." Draco said in a stern voice, sounding very serious. Ron glared at him for a second before tumbeling out of his seat and reaching over to grab his back pack. On the floor next to where it was was the item that fell out. Ron quickly grabbed it before Draco got a goos look at it. Or so he thought.

On the floor was a green iPod, with sharpie drawings all over it.

Ron stuffed it in his pocket, looking around the room and making sure that Snape or anyone else didn't see it. He turned back to Draco. Draco, on the other hand, was staring at him with wide eyes, his face almost as a white as paper. The blonde's mouth was open slightly. Ron gave him a confused look.

"Where... did you get that?" Draco slowly and cautiously asked. Ron blinked several times.

"Why do you care?" Ron said back, turning around and flinging his back pack onto his shoulder, walking away. Draco sat behind him, the same facial expression on his face until way after class ended.

His heart raced for the rest of the day.

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Jeez, that took way too long. I meant to have this three days ago. But I've been extremly busy the last few days. Please leave a reveiw!

"


	9. Just One Look

1A/N: So I was going to try and wait until I was back at my mom's until writing this, but the anticipation is killing me. D: Anyway, I hope that everyone has enjoyed this story so far. I know not a whole lot has happened yet, but keep reading! **I also do not know how long this is because I do not have word count.** Sorry about that as well. So, please enjoy and leave a review!

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Ron's mind was reeling.

The past week had been a blur of confusion. The person who played guitar. They still played for the red head, but hardly ever talked to him anymore. It made Ron feel unwanted there, not needed. And when they did talk to Ron it was always stiff and awkward and short. But still kind. Always kind. It never ever faltered it's kindness. It made Ron feel so very awkward.

So Ron just sat in the Common Room during his free hour. Staring at the fire place and letting his mind wander and go no where at the same time. It wasn't like that person had totally and completly stopped talking to him. Nothing like that. It just... felt weird. Like something had happened. Something bad. But Ron couldn't figure it out. Nothing fit together in his mind. Nothing seemed to now a days.

On top of all of this, his homework was building up horribly. And hermoine was starting to bitch at him again. And Harry was over-worrying.

And Draco saw his iPod.

---

"Are you ok, Ron?" Harry questioned. It was the next day at breakfast, early in the morning. Usually Ron wasn't up this early, but he couldn't sleep. And hunger was eating him alive. The red head stared at Harry for a moment, then looked back down at his food.

"I'm fine." Ron replied. He heard Harry sigh as he sat down across from him.

"No you're not. This past week you've been quiet and distant. Did something happen with Hermoine again?" Harry asked, leaning towards Ron. Ron looked at his best friend, then rolled his eyes.

"No. It's just... something happened, but I don't know what." Ron replied. Why was it every time he tried to keep something from Harry, he always ended up telling the other boy anyway? Augh.

"What?" Harry said, raising an eyebrow. It was Ron's turn to sigh.

"Something happened, but I don't know what. The person that plays the gutair. They don't talk as much anymore and it's just weird. It almost feels like I'm not wanted there or something. Does that sound weird? But the most annoying part of it all is that he's still so nice about everything! How can you be nice to someone that you don't want around?" Ron rambled, finishing with a drawn out sigh. Harry stared at him for a minute, playing with his food a bit.

"Don't you think you over think things a bit much?" Harry slowly replied. Ron puffed his cheeks out a bit.

"No." The red head replied. Harry let out a short laugh.

"Sure."

---

A few experimental, high pitched chords played out through the hallway. They sounded harsh and unknown to the player, but Ron didn't mind. He still had the iPod and his thoughts to keep himself busy. He kept the music low, though. Ron didn't want to feel rude or anything. Even though the other person couldn't see him. Whatever.

The notes faded after a little bit followed by a few shuffling sounds. Ron tapped his foot against the floor, keeping the beat of the song he was currently listening to. It was quiet, but not like before. This time, it was crushingly awkward and thick and gave Ron a paranoid feeling. He paused the music and cleared his throat, trying to make things less awkward. For himself, at least.

"That sounded good, so far." Ron said, his voice feeling shaky. It was quiet for a little.

"It was nothing." They replied, sounding way too polite again. It bugged Ron so terribly much. He wanted to just straight up and ask 'Hey, you don't want me around? Why are you being so nice?' and just get it over with. But the red head was also afraid that something like that would damage things more. Bugger, this situation was not good.

"So..." Ron trailed. He ran out of things to talk about. Damn. Ron hated it when stuff like this happened. It just seemed to make things worse. The red head leaned his head against the wall, taking a deep breath. He heard the other do the same.

At the same time, there was a long, drawn out meow at the other end of the hallway.

"Hey kitty kitty." Ron softly called. The long haired mangy looking cat looked at him, it's eyes narrowing and looking very scary to Ron at the moment. Cat? Cat, cat, cat... who in the castle had a cat besides Hermoine...?

"Mrs. Norris?" The familiar raspy, harsh mean voice of Filch rang through the hallway, sounding not too faint. Ron cursed under his breath, scrambling to stand up.

"Shit." Ron said. He meant to say it quietly, but he heard it echo slightly. He heard the person in the classroom stand up and moving to collect whatever he had with him.

"Who's coming?" They quietly said. Ron felt his brain fry as he quickly looked around for somewhere to hide.

"Filch. Sorry, I have to hide in here." Ron quickly replied, hoping the last part was too quiet for them to hear. Without thinking and in one swift movement, Ron spun himself around and threw himself into the classroom. The forbidden classroom. The place he swore not to go into. Damn.

"No, don't-!" The person started to say, but was cut off by Ron quietly but quickly closing the door behind him. Ron let out a breath that he didn't know that he was holding. Even though he was in the same room as that person, finally able to see them face to face, Ron kept his eyes glued to the floor. He made a promise, and already broke it. Maybe he could save it, maybe-

"I'm sor-" Ron started to say, but was cut off by a hand reaching out with lightening speed and covering his mouth. When had that person moved over here? That was weird. Ron felt his blue eyes go wide, but still kept his gaze at the floor. Well, now that person's chest. A black hoodie, with some sort of design on it. Ron couldn't see that well.

"Stay quiet." The person said, sounding harsh and... mad. No trace of kindness anywhere. It frightened Ron slightly and, at the same time, made him angry. It sounded so familiar... too familiar... wait a second.

Ron's eyes snapped up. He looked right at that person. Almost into thier eyes, if their hood hadn't been over their head. A black hood with some sort of design around the rim. All Ron could see was their mouth and chin. Shadows cut off their face right below the nose. Ron furrowed his eyebrows together and thought about biting their hand for a second. Maybe licking it. But who knows what kind of germs were on their hand. Plus it may cause some noise and bring Filch over here.

"Mrs. Norris, what're you doin' here?" Filch said in a soothing voice. There was a sickly meow right outside the door. Ron's eyes widened slightly more and his heart beat faster. Sure, he'd gotten into plenty of trouble before. But the red head was always with Harry and Hermoine. Never by himself. Never. Plus, if he was caught out _way _past curfew, Hermoine would find out. And then endless complaining and bitching would happen. Augh.

"Let's be on our way, Mrs. Norris." Filch said. Another sickly and raspy meow. It almost made Ron cringe. The two boys stayed silent as they listened to Filch hobble down the corridor. When Ron couldn't hear the ground keeper's footsteps anymore, he backed away from that person. Just enough to get their hand off of his mouth. They stared at each other for a minute. Ron pouting and that person... looking blank. At least from what Ron could tell.

"I'm sorry." Ron said, sounding stern and serious. The other boy just stayed quiet. Ron shifted his weight a little.

"This is awkward." Ron said with a small laugh, scratching that back of his head. The other boy just stayed quiet. Ron felt his soul die a little.

"You could have _not _come in here." They flatly said, ignoring Ron's comment. The red head felt his temper flare.

"And do what? Get into trouble? No, I don't think so." Ron replied, shaking his head. That person moved away from Ron, taking a few steps back. Almost like he just realized how close they were standing and decided that it was too close. Or something like that. Ron scowled.

"You should go back to your Common Room." They said, turning away from Ron. Without thinking, Ron reached out and grabbed their shoulder, spinning them back around to face him. While doing that, that person's hood slid up a bit, revealing his nose. Stupid pointy nose. It reminded him of-

"No. Now, you've seen who I am. How's that fair?" Ron said, hoping that his sentence made some sense. Because it didn't to him. That person opened his mouth as if to say something, but then closed it right away. It aggravated Ron.

"Because. I don't want you to know who I am." They replied in a soft voice. Ron exhaled through his nose.

"I don't have anyone to tell." Ron tried. That person just let out a short laugh.

"Yes, you do. I know who you are." They replied. It was just enough to piss off Ron thoroughly.

"I made a freaking promise to you! I haven't told anyone about coming here, I've kept your iPod thing hidden from everyone, and this is the first time I've come in here! And for a very good reason!" Ron exploded, taking a step or two towards the other boy. They tried to back away, but a table behind him stopped him from doing so.

"You really don't want to mess with me." They said in a low voice, trying to sound threatening but sounding like a child instead. Ron would have laughed if the situation wasn't so serious.

"I can handle you." Ron said in an equally low voice. It was just like him. To start a fight with everyone around him. The red head really didn't want to fight right now. He just wanted to know who this person was. This person that he felt like he'd grown so close to. This person that showed him what real music was like. What it meant to keep a secret.

"Just leave." That person said in a frustrated voice. He put his hands in front of him slightly, almost like he wanted to protect himself. From what? _Ron_? Like Ron would seriously hurt someone.

"No." Ron said. Without really thinking anything through, the red head reached out towards the other boys head. In a swift motion, he pulled down the black hoodie that shadowed that person's face.

And gasped.

It was almost like slow motion. At least to Ron it was. The hoodie fell on top of the shorter boy's shoulders. Pale skin was reveled. Light grey eyes shown brightly with anger and panic. Short blonde straight locks bounced slightly with the movement. And all Ron could do was stare.

"...Malfoy?" Ron stumbled over his words. His blue eyes were wide again as he stared at Draco. Draco's breathing increased by a lot. They stared at each other in wonderment. Actually, Ron was doing more of the wonderment. Draco just stared at him with hard eyes mixed with fear.

"What-?"

"Shut up, Weasly." Draco said before shoving Ron away. Ron's reaction was to take out his wand and hex the living crap out of the Malfoy, but he didn't. He couldn't. All this time it had been Draco. Draco, Draco, Draco.

And all Ron could do was stare.

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JEEZ that took all night. Sorry. I am currently reading a story called **Rain Shadow**. It is a Sora/Riku and by far one of the best fan fiction's I've ever read. Tied with **Bloody Kisses, Strawberry Smiles** (a BB/L). Anyway, I do hope that everyone liked this chapter. Sorry it felt a bit rushed at the end. I just want to start on the next chapter. **Please leave a review! **


	10. Yesterday Came Suddenly

A/N: So school starts for me that day after tomorrow. Which means that this will probably be the last chapter of the summer. Augh. Anyway, I do hope that everyone if enjoying the story so far. This chapter might be a bit… awkward feeling because I'm not totally sure how to write what I have in mind. Besides that, I hope everyone likes it!** The song used in this chapter is "Yesterday" by the Beatles.** Please leave a review!

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Ron sat in the Common Room, staring at the fireplace with a blank expression.

After Draco had pushed Ron away from him, all the red head could do was stand there and stare at him. An incredibly awkward silence washed over the two boys as they just stared at each other. Neither could say anything. It was too awkward and weird and just… uncomfortable. Now Ron really wished that he had just let things be. Just left everything alone and kept things the way they were.

Screw everything.

So here the red head was, sitting in the empty Common Room, staring at the fireplace. It felt lonely and cold as a million and one thoughts raced through his mind. But, at the same time, it felt like his mind had gone completely blank. Just blank.

Sleep felt way too inviting.

---

"Ron, Ron wake up!" A loud and familiar voice shouted in his ear. The red head's mind was quickly thrown back into reality as he slowly opened his eyes, quickly covering them with his arm when he did. Harry stared back at him with a worried expression.

"Too bright." Ron mumbled sleepily. Harry let out a relieved sigh and moved away from Ron slightly. He nudged his best friend in the shoulder. Hard enough to get Ron to take his arm away.

"What're you doing down here, mate?" Harry asked, looking at Ron. Ron looked up at the brunette, his glasses reflecting some light coming in through a window. Ron blinked and looked away.

"I… must have fallen asleep." He slowly said, trying to remember exactly when he did fall asleep. He couldn't.

"Long night?" Harry questioned quietly. People were starting to pour out of the Dorm Rooms. Ron hesitantly nodded his head.

"What time is it?" The red head asked, rubbing the back of his head.

"Almost halfway through breakfast. If you want to eat you better move." Harry said while turning around and heading towards the Common Room door. Ron groaned to himself. He felt gross, going to class in the same clothes he slept in. It didn't matter. He'd have to come and change at lunch or something.

"This is going to be a horribly long day." Ron said to himself before getting up off the couch.

---

"Have you noticed that Malfoy hasn't been bothering us?" Hermoine suddenly said. The librarian shushed them.

It had been three days since Ron found out it was Draco. And what Hermoine had said had been true. Draco didn't even bother to look at them. He didn't even insult them when they walked past him in the hall. His face would just go red and he'd walk faster. And Ron knew why. He just couldn't say anything.

He had made a promise. Even if it _was _with a Malfoy.

"No, I haven't noticed a thing! Why do you ask, Hermoine? It's much better without him nagging at us all the time. Don't you agree, Harry? I mean-!" Ron suddenly started pouring and blubbering and ranting like an idiot. The only thing that stopped him was Hermoine.

"Okay, okay, we get the point, Ron." Hermoine said, nodding her head at Ron. Harry gave the red head an odd and questioning look. It made Ron feel like he was being strangled. It was a crushing look that made Ron nervous.

"But don't you guys think that's a little strange? He always has something to say." Harry cautiously said, watching Ron as he said it. The red head tried to keep his face blank and his eyes away from Harry. It was hard.

"I don't care. Isn't it better without him bothering us?" Ron spat and getting the familiar twitch in his legs to run away. Harry looked as if he was in mock thought. His eyes drifted towards the ceiling, a finger on his chin, and his jaw locked tight.

"Yes, but it's weird." Hermoine said. Harry nodded his head in agreement. Ron nearly lost it at that. He quickly stood up from the library table, grabbing his bag in one hand and slamming the chair into the table with the other.

"Well, if you want to figure out how to get Mr. Pissy-Mc-Pissy-Pants to start bothering us again, you can figure it out on your own!" Ron shouted at them. This time the librarian left them alone. The red head turned around before he could see the look on his friend's faces and stormed out of the library.

"What's with him?" Hermoine quietly questioned. Harry shrugged his shoulders, resting his head on one hand and watching Ron run out of the library.

"No idea."

---

Ron was angry, and he wasn't really sure why.

Everything in the past week or so just seemed to not work out well. First, almost being caught out late. Second, making an ass of himself. And third…

Ron shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. It wasn't working so well. The slow and normally calming ride up the Grand Staircase usually helped him, but not this time. It was _too _slow and _too _relaxing. Agh, it felt like his head was going to explode.

The red head leaned against the railing as it moved across the room, sort of towards the direction of the Common Room. He closed his eyes, trying to think of anything but his friends, school, magic, anything. Just trying to clear his mind.

When the staircase finally stopped moving, Ron took a step off with his eyes still closed. The hallway felt a little empty to be the one near the Common Room. Ron opened his eyes and looked around. He immediately turned around to get back on the staircase, but it was already gone.

He was stuck on _that _floor. Of course.

"Why is it every time I don't want to be here, I end up here?!" Ron yelled to no one. He shuffled his feet around, turning back to where the staircase had been. He looked and waited and looked and waited but none of the others seemed to be coming his way. Ron sighed to himself in an angry manner.

Stupid little thing called _fate._

"Well, while I'm here…." Ron mumbled to himself, turning around and facing the hallway. It looked big and scary and dark now that Ron looked at it. Maybe it was because he didn't want to go down there. Like it would eat him up like the spiders tried to do in his second year. Or like the Whomping Willow. Something like that. Hopefully not.

The red head took a deep breath, and then started off down the corridor. The only thing that he could hear for a while was the _clomp clomp _of his shoes. And his frantic heartbeat. It was way too loud for his taste. Just as Ron was about to say 'Screw it,' and turn around and find another way back to the tower, his ears picked up the faint noise of a guitar string.

Looking down the hall with uncertain eyes, Ron let out a long breath through his nose and continued to take cautious steps towards that classroom. Once Ron was almost directly right outside the door, he slowly sat down next to the door. The random and uncertain notes slowly turned into a melody, and softly that voice started to sing.

"_Yesterday,  
All my troubles seemed so far away,  
Now it looks as though they're here to stay,  
Oh, I believe in yesterday._

Suddenly,  
I'm not half the man I used to be,  
there's a shadow hanging over me,  
Oh, yesterday came suddenly.

Why she  
had to go I don't know, she wouldn't say.  
I said,  
something wrong, now I long for yesterday.

Yesterday,  
Love was such an easy game to play,  
now I need a place to hide away,  
Oh, I believe in yesterday.

Why she  
had to go I don't know, she wouldn't say.  
I said,  
something wrong, now I long for yesterday.

Yesterday,  
Love was such an easy game to play,  
now I need a place to hide away,  
Oh, I believe in yesterday." 

The song ended with a few calming notes and some musical hums from Draco. Ron sat there, bewilderment written all over his face. It was now just hitting him. It was _Draco_ that played all of those beautiful songs. And sang so wonderfully. And had all of those calming songs on that iPod thing. It was just now clicking in Ron's head. And it was frying his brain.

All of a sudden, a long rectangular object went flying pat Ron's head, hitting the wall across from him.

"Uwah!" Ron screamed (in a manly way), covering himself with his arms, peeking around them after a minute to see of anything more was going to attack. He heard laughter from the classroom.

"That wasn't funny, you git!" Ron yelled, quickly standing up and twirling himself around into the classroom doorframe. The red head glared at the laughing blonde. It wasn't real, pure laughter that Ron had grown to like. It sounded forced and hallow and almost… empty. It made him angrier.

"Sorry, that was funny." Draco replied, straightening himself back. A ghost of a smile was still on his face. It didn't reach his eyes.

"I… shouldn't be here." Ron suddenly decided. He frantically looked around him, moving to walk away. If only Draco weren't there.

"Who says you have to go?" He asked, his cocky voice in a lower tone than usual. Ron shot him another glare.

"Why would you want me here? We hate each other, remember? And you just happen to be my best mate's mortal enemy." Ron replied, giving the Slytherin a mocking smile. It didn't faze the blonde. They just looked at each other. Ron's bright blue eyes and Draco's cool grey one's. Both had mixed emotions of… something. But neither cared enough to wonder.

"Did you keep your promise?" Draco suddenly said, breaking the silence. Ron blinked a few times, taken aback.

"What?"

"Did you keep your promise?" Draco repeated, sounding impatient. Ron let out an angry sigh, but nodded his head.

"Yes I did." Ron replied. He crossed his arms over his chest, turning his head away from the other boy. This was awkward and weird and just… uncomfortable feeling. Ron didn't like it. Why was it lately every situation he was in was awkward? It felt like they always were.

"And I kept mine. No one knows you're here, no one knows I'm here. So you can stay." Draco flatly and plainly said. Ron felt his mouth drop as he looked back over at Draco. The blonde was currently re-situating himself on the table to play another song. Ron shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

"So that's it? No fight, no punching, no nothing? Just an 'okay'?" Ron dumbly said. Draco looked back up at Ron with incredulous looking eyes –_That's the right emotion right? I hope so,_ Ron thought to himself- and then back down at his guitar.

"Yeah, just like that. Unless you want me to punch you." Draco said, sounding really impatient. Ron wished that he'd be nice again.

"No… just… I don't know." Ron trailed, sounding like an idiot. Neither really cared at the moment.

"Ok."

"So… what now?" Ron hesitantly said. Draco rolled his eyes to himself, but kept his gaze towards his black guitar.

"You can sit down and enjoy some music, or go back to your Common Room. Your choice." Draco blandly replied. Ron didn't like how emotionless the blonde sounded. He liked that calm and relaxed voice.

"Whatever." Ron mumbled back, but grabbed a nearby chair and sat down anyway. Draco smiled to himself.

It was going to be a good week.

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NOT HOW I WANTED IT. But it's the best that I can do. I'm so incredibly worn out and so very tired and I feel like I'm going to puke. So here's what you got. I'm going to try and do another chapter sometime this week, but don't count on it. Until then, please leave a kind review!


	11. Ask Me Your Questions

A/N: School has been so stressful. D: I'm a little sick right now, but this chapter has been nagging at the back of my brain for the past few days, so I'm going to do it. Here it is. Its crap on the computer screen, but it's the best I can come up with when I have a sore throat, throw up in my mouth every five minutes, and have slept very little. :D So, please do enjoy this chapter.** The song used is The Scientist by Coldplay.** And PLEASE leave a review. I've noticed that this story is getting hits, but hardly any review. D: But I thank everyone that has left one so far.

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Ron had never been more relaxed and jittery at the same time.

It felt like nothing had changed. During the day, at least. Ron felt like a double agent. Whenever Draco was mentioned, he'd just go along with whatever Harry or Hermoine would have to say. Whenever he saw Draco, it was the same. They'd ignore each other or continue to punch at each other. It felt normal and nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

But then when they met in that classroom, it was like the day never happened. Even when they would punch each other, Draco always had a snide remark about it, but would play his music anyway. And Ron would pout to himself, but on the inside he was laughing at how ironic all of this was.

Don't get him wrong. Draco was still his stuck up, prick-ish self when they were alone. He still made remarks about Ron and his family and his friends and his intelligence. And he never really laughed anymore and would roll his eyes a lot. But to Ron… it didn't feel real. Those times when Draco had been kind to him, before they found out, had been… nice. Of course, the red head would never admit that. Just like he'd never admit that he liked to stare at the ceiling.

Nothing had changed.

---

"Ron?" Harry slowly said, looking at is best mate. Ron snapped his eyes away from the ceiling, looking back into Harry's vibrant green eyes. It was currently after dinner and the two boys were in the Common Room. Hermoine had gone to the library to write a paper for… something. Ron didn't catch the details. It was almost time to go to the classroom, anyway.

"Yeah…?" Ron cautiously said back, smiling a little to himself. It made him feel awkward how awkward Harry was being, and like normal people when they feel uncomfortable, Ron just laughed.

"You ok? You've been really spacey lately." Harry stated, sitting down next to the red head on the couch. Ron shrugged his shoulders and looked away from Harry.

"Just thinking a lot lately." Ron replied, his eyes wandering back to the ceiling. Harry sighed, leaning his head forward a little bit to get a better look at Ron.

"You've been going every night." Harry said, not really caring if people heard. And he didn't need to repeat himself. Ron knew exactly what he was talking about.

"Yeah. So what?" The red head replied, shuffling away from Harry slightly. He didn't mean anything by it, honestly. Just… a nervous reaction? Ron couldn't explain it, even if he wanted to.

"Well… you've been going every night for, like, two or three weeks straight. Winter break is coming up really soon. What're you going to do then?" Harry tried to calmly ask. Ron could tell the he was just being curious, not rude.

"I… honestly don't know." Ron slowly replied with a long sigh. It was awkwardly quiet. Not like when Ron was with Draco. This was a quiet where someone wanted to say something, but they were too nervous or they would sound like an idiot. Or both.

"So… you should probably go soon." Harry suddenly said, nodding his head at Ron, standing up and walking away. Ron watched him walk up into the Dorm Rooms with an empty feeling.

---

"Stupid… freaking guitar… won't tune…" Draco mumbled to himself as he played with some knobs on the guitar, strumming it only to growl to himself and play with it some more. Ron sat on the table across from Draco, pretending not to watch him and trying to stare at the ceiling. Which was actually interesting to Ron, a little bit.

"It sounds fine." Ron said, swinging his feet back and forth a little. He leaned his weight back on his arms and locking his elbows. Draco looked up from his guitar and glared at Ron slightly.

"It sounds horrible. I bet Crabbe or Goyle went and touched it again." Draco mumbled to himself, looking back down at his guitar. Ron raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything.

"I bet it'll sound fine." Ron said, continuing to look from the ceiling to the ground. But he could feel Draco looking at him. Augh.

"Whatever." Draco mumbled under his breath, but positioned his guitar to play. Ron looked back at him, relaxing a little bit. His arms wobbled a little as his muscles relaxed. The notes began out slow and steady and sad sounding, making Ron feel sad.

"_Come up to meet you, tell you I'm sorry_

_You don't know how lovely you are._

_I had to find you, tell you I need you,_

_Tell you I set you apart._

_Tell me your secrets and ask me your questions,_

_Oh lets go back to the start._

_Running in circles, Comin' in tails_

_Heads on a science apart._

_Nobody said it was easy,_

_It's such a shame for us to part._

_Nobody said it was easy,_

_No one ever said it would be this hard._

_Oh take me back to the start._

_I was just guessin' at numbers and figures,_

_Pulling the puzzles apart._

_Questions of science, science and progress_

_Do not speak as loud as my heart._

_And tell me you love me, come back and haunt me_

_Oh and I rush to the start._

_Runnin' in circles, Chasin' tails_

_Comin' back as we are_

_Nobody said it was easy,_

_Oh it's such a shame for us to part._

_Nobody said it was easy,_

_No one ever said it would be so hard._

_I'm goin' back to the start."_

Ron now laid on the table, his eyes half closed as he stared at the ceiling, letting the last few notes wash over him. Draco's soft almost feminine voice worked quite well with this song. Ron knew that Draco hadn't written this; it was on the iPod.

"So…?" Draco slowly said. Ron flickered his eyes towards the blonde. The red head raised an eyebrow in confusion. Draco never asked him how he did or how it sounded. At least, not recently. Ron couldn't remember if he did before. Whatever.

"It sounded really… good." Ron nervously replied. He knew whatever he said would make Draco angry. Even though it sounded amazing. And Draco had to know that. Right?

"Sure." Draco replied, rolling his eyes and taking the guitar strap off of him and laying the slender black guitar on his table. Ron stared at it for a minute as he sat back up, now looking directly at the blonde. That's all they did for a minute. Just stare at each other. It felt surreal to Ron. Like they were in a movie or a book or some girl's weird fantasy dream thing. It just didn't feel real to Ron. But, then again, nothing really seemed to anymore.

"So…" Ron had started, a weird thought crossing his mind. Draco tilted his head to the side, looking away from the red head. This was the longest they'd ever been in a room together without fighting or having music playing. It was weird.

"What?" Draco grumbled, but it sounded like forced anger. Ron didn't like it.

"Never mind." Ron said, getting up and off the table. He wouldn't look at Draco and it looked like he was getting ready to leave.

"No, what?" Draco sternly said. He didn't want to fully show that he was interested in what Ron had to say, but he really was. Ron let out a sigh.

"Well… it's just…"

"Spit it out, already." Draco huffed, rolling his eyes slightly. Ron chewed on the inside of his mouth.

"I mean… it only just crossed my mind. But… what _are _we? Enemies still? Or something like almost friend but not really?" Ron asked in a rush of words. He felt his face burn slightly. He really wished that he'd start to think about what he had to say before he said it. Draco just stared at him for a minute, like he was pondering over the situation as well, and then smirked slightly.

"You word vomit a lot." Draco said. It caught Ron off guard.

"What?"

"Word vomit. It's when you say something, but you don't really want to. Speaking without thinking." Draco replied, scooting himself off of the table. He was almost standing next to Ron, but not quite.

"Ah-um… yeah." Ron sheepishly said, rubbing the back of his head and nervously smiling to himself. Draco just kept a light sneer on his face, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Let's just say we know each other." Draco said, nodding his head to himself. Ron looked at, obviously confused. Like he forgot what they were talking about five seconds ago. It reminded Draco of a big, lovable dog. Like Scooby or something.

"But we knew each other before." Ron stupidly stated. It was almost enough to make Draco laugh out loud. Instead he kept his composure and laughed in his head. Which doesn't seem crazy at all.

"You know what I mean." Draco flatly said. Ron blankly stared at him, obviously still confused. The blonde didn't press it, though. He knew that in the end they'd just end up punching each other. Or something like that.

---

"I have a question." Ron suddenly said as Draco was playing a little tune to himself. It was the next day, and Winter Break was right around the corner. Everyone was excited for it. Except for Ron, for once in his life.

"Shoot." Draco quickly said as he continued to teach himself a song.

"Do your songs have meaning?" Ron spat out, trying not to sound nervous. His voice betrayed him when it shook at the end of the sentence. Screw life. Draco kept playing on for a minute, thinking of the right words to say. He knew _what _to say, but how to say it…

"They have meaning… but it's different to people." Draco simply put. He didn't feel like listing off his _own _personal reasons. Not to a Weasly. Not right now…

"What do you mean?" Ron dumbly asked. Sometimes it was annoying how thick Ron could be. Draco sighed and stopped playing.

"A song could mean one thing to one person, and something else to another." Draco said, picking at the strings a little. Ron stared at the ground as his brain tried to compute the sentence. Not that Ron was dumb. Just slow…

"Oh." Ron said after a minute. It was quiet as Draco turned slightly away from the red head, continuing to teach himself a song. Hopefully he could have it done before Christmas. He really wanted it done before then. He hadn't much time to practice because Ron always wanted to listen to his iPod. As much as Draco wanted to, he couldn't say no. It felt too mean.

Hopefully he could.

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This is not as long as I wanted it to be. But I am sick and tired and stressed and my hand is cramping from typing so much. So here you go. A crappy chapter. Like this story. I feel sad. Anyway, please leave a review and cheer me up. I feel like shit right now.


	12. Let It Snow

A/N: I don't want to do this right now, but I feel like I have to. I've been in such a sad mood for the past few days and I can't seem to get over it. I'm not going to rant about it though. So, here's the new chapter. Enjoy it, read it, leave a review.

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Christmas break was almost upon them, and it was the first time in Ron's life that he didn't want to go home.

Things had been going to well. The red head kept his grades up, even though he barely had any time to concentrate on class. Let alone do his homework. No outrageous fights between him and Draco. Of course, they'd punch each other now and then. But Ron never put any fury or real force into it. He could tell that Draco did the same thing. How could you seriously injure someone when you've spent so many private moments with them? Even if they were your mortal enemy and you were supposed to hate them and he made fun of your family all time and hated your best mate just a little bit.

Life was good for Ron.

---

Ron sat on one of the cold, hard tables in that classroom. It had only been half an hour since he had got there, but exhaustion had already taken over him. It had been a long week for the two students, coming to the classroom every night. On top of that, trying to keep up with class and homework and friends. It could wear a person out. Ron looked up at the ceiling, playing with his fingers a bit. Draco sat at the table opposite of him, strumming on his guitar. Ron looked at the blonde for a split second, then back up at the ceiling.

"So…" Ron started, but then awkwardly stopped. Draco glanced up at him and kept playing the guitar.

"So what?" Draco said a second later. It didn't sound harsh or mean or anything. Just a statement.

"What're… what'd you got planned for break?" Ron awkwardly asked, looking back at Draco and giving a small, awkward smile. Draco stared at the red head for a second before snapping his head back to his guitar.

"Why are you asking?" The blonde questioned. He sounded stiff and uncomfortable and his shoulders had become stiff. Ron sighed to himself.

"Just… making conversation, I guess? I don't know." Ron replied, his voice going very small and quiet. Draco looked back up at Ron and stared at him for a minute. It was a thick moment before Draco gave a short laugh and looked away from the red head.

"To answer your question: nothing. I'm doing nothing over break." Draco replied, smiling to himself as he continued to play around on his guitar. Ron pouted to himself a little.

"That's boring. You're not going to do anything?" Ron whined in a sort of sing song voice. Draco stopped playing and looked up at Ron, raising an eyebrow slightly.

"No, nothing."

"So you're just going to sit and stare at the walls in your room for ten days?" Ron teasingly asked. Draco shook his head and laughed a little.

"No, not that much of nothing. Maybe something, if I'm not too lazy." Draco replied. Ron smiled to himself as he looked at the ground. It was a calm and relaxing moment with the two boys just smiling to themselves as Draco started to play a random and calming tune. Ron looked up at the ceiling, his thoughts starting to wander along with the tune.

Winter break. What was he going to do? Ron knew that he'd probably have a big Christmas dinner with Harry and Hermoine and the family. He'd get to see his friends basically the entire break. He'd be in a nice warm house, surrounded by people that he loved. No homework, no teachers, no classes. Nothing to stress the red head out. But would he be able to sleep at night? Probably not. Ron really didn't think that he would be able to sleep without coming to the classroom for about ten days. Or something like that. Ron could picture himself lying in bed, staring at the ceiling (like he always did) and his mind wandering a reeling without the music. Maybe Draco would let him use the iPod for the break. He'd had it for a few weeks already. But maybe Draco would let him…

"Yo, Weasly. You awake?" Draco suddenly said. Ron snapped his head back towards the blonde, blinking a few times. He looked so confused it almost made Draco laugh.

"What?" Ron said, his voice squeaking a bit at the end. The blonde smiled to himself and looked away from Ron.

"You still got my iPod?" Draco suddenly said. Ron chewed on the inside of his cheek as he nodded his head 'yes'.

"Do you want it back?" Ron questioned, moving towards his bag to get it. Draco shook his head.

"Keep it over break, I don't need it." Draco replied. He pulled the guitar strap over his shoulders and rested the instrument on the table. He stared at Ron for a second before his gaze went to the floor.

"Are you sure?" Ron questioned. Draco nodded.

"Everything is up here." Draco responded, tapping the side of his head with his finger. Ron stared at him, looking quite bewildered.

"Eh? You remember everything?!" Ron asked in astonishment. Draco smiled and nodded his head. Ron's mouth hung open.

"That's amazing." Ron replied, his eyes drifting up towards the ceiling. It was amazing, really, for Ron to think that someone could play music straight from their head. It was amazing.

"Not really. It's easier than most people would think." Draco replied. Ron looked back at and raised an eyebrow.

"Are you kidding me? You're just used to doing it." Ron said while rolling his eyes. Draco scoffed at him, scooting himself off of the table and landing softly on the ground.

"We should be leaving soon." Draco said, scratching the back of his head. Ron quickly gave a little jump and ungracefully landed on the floor.

"Yeah." Ron said as he took a few steps towards the door. His feet shuffled and sounded hesitant as he got closer to the door. When he was almost there, Ron suddenly turned around and looked directly at Draco.

"Malfoy?" Ron said. It meant to be more of a statement, but the nerves in Ron's brain refused to let it be that. So it came out nervous and small sounding. Draco looked at him, his eyes drooping slightly with fatigue.

"Yeah?"

"If you learn anymore songs… mail it to me." Ron said with a sudden burst of bravery. Before the blonde could respond to this, Ron took a few more fast paced steps and slipped out the door. It was quiet as Draco heard the red head patter down the hall outside.

And all he could do was smile.

---

Ron lay in his bed in the Dorm, staring at the ceiling. What else was new?

Had he really done that? Tell that stupid Malfoy to freaking _mail _him? What was wrong with Ron? Yeah, it would be weird to not go and listen to gorgeous music every night. But it wasn't like they were friends or anything.

What were they? Ron hated asking that question because he sounded like a girl asked her boyfriend that. This was weird to think about. But… Ron didn't like calling Draco his enemy anymore. That was really weird to think about. He just couldn't after spending so much time with the other. He couldn't say "I hate that bloody prick!" without feeling like an asshole anymore. It just didn't work for Ron.

They weren't friends, but they weren't enemies. And it was started to decay Ron's brain.

The red head turned over in his bed, tearing his gaze away from the ceiling.

---

Christmas Dinner. Tomorrow almost everyone would be off to their homes to spend a perfect break with their families. And Ron didn't want to leave.

"Are you feeling ok, Ron?" Hermoine asked, leaning across the table and getting too close for comfort for Ron. He backed away from her a bit.

"Yeah just thinking." Ron replied, glancing quickly at Harry. The brunette nodded his head and smiled at Hermoine.

"Yeah, Ron's been doing all of his homework! By himself!" Harry quickly added. He knew that Hermoine would get distracted by that. Her eyes widened as she looked between Ron and Harry.

"Really? That's great, Ron!" Hermoine practically screamed. It made Ron's ears bleed. He smiled slightly and nodded.

"Of course. I don't want to fall behind." Ron quickly but politely said. Hermione raised an eyebrow but didn't press on with it. The Grand Hall suddenly erupted with noise as dessert appeared on the table. Ron reached for some cake; even though he'd much rather throw up. Thinking about Christmas Break was making him nervous for some reason.

"Hello, little brother."

"You seem to be enjoying yourself." Two voices suddenly rang in Ron's ear. He would have chocked on his cake if it hadn't been Fred and George. But he was used to them doing weird stuff by now. He looked at the both of them, Fred to his left and George to his right. They both had wide smiles.

"…What're you gonna do?" Ron asked after swallowing his cake. Fred looked offended while George looked appalled. Or was it the other way around? Was there a difference to those emotions?

"Why dear brother-"

"Why would you say such a thing?"

"We only wanted to say hello-"

"Eat some cake-"

"Talk to our little brother-"

"And spread some happiness." George finished with a smile. Fred smiled back at him as they both lifted their wands, pointing above them. Sparks flew out of their wands up above the table, bright white sparks. They exploded up above them, confetti falling from nowhere all over the Gryffindor table. Small, circle shaped confetti. It changed different neon colors every few seconds. It slowly fell onto everyone that was sitting at the table.

Ron looked up at the falling pieces of paper. Slowly, one fell onto the tip of Ron's nose. The instant it landed on Ron's warm nose, it melted. Like a snowflake. Ron stared cross-eyed at his nose in amazement. More fell on his face and everyone else around him.

Fred smiled to himself as George looked at him. At the same time, the twins lifted their wands and more sparks flew out of them, a few hovering over each dinner table in the Grand Hall. At the same time, each table started to snow confetti.

Ron looked all around him, seeing everyone else in the room smiling with amazement and wonder. Ron looked away from the Gryffindor table and across the room at the Slytherin table. His eyes quickly found Draco, his bright blonde hair sticking out among everyone else with black hair. Draco was looking all around him and Ron could tell that the blonde really wanted to smile. He could just tell. Their eyes met for a second.

Without thinking or even caring, Ron stared right at Draco and smiled. A bright and wide smile that almost made the whole room light up. He smiled so wide that his face immediately started to hurt. Without thinking again, Ron clumsily stood up from the table. He painfully took his eyes away from the blonde. Feeling like a child, Ron started to dance around and catch the confetti as it fell, feeling it melt in his hands. Fred and George laughed at Ron.

"Someone is enjoying themselves a bit." They said together. Ron didn't hear them, or he couldn't. He was having too much fun being a kid and catching confetti.

His smile grew after he realized that Fred and George weren't planning anything else. His smile was wide and bright because he wasn't failing his classes. Because he still had beautiful music to listen to over break, even if it wasn't Draco. Because he knew that the two weren't enemies anymore. Because Fred and George had done something that didn't involve hurting anyone for once this time. They actually had made everyone happy.

Across the room, all Draco could do was smile.

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That took so much longer than it needed to. Sorry if it was a little rushed towards the end but I was starting to get stressed that I wouldn't finish it tonight. So, hopefully everyone enjoyed it! Please leave a review and tell me what you think!


	13. Please Be Happy Now

A/N: I don't know why, but I suddenly wanted to do another chapter. Maybe it's because I have to go have a stomach procedure done in a few days and I'm really nervous. D: Stupid diabetes. Anyway, I do hope that everyone enjoys this chapter!** The song used is The Boy's Gone by Jason Mraz.** Please leave a review!

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Draco could feel his soul crumble.

The train ride back to London had gone alright. No one had talked to the blonde too terribly much, which was perfectly fine with him. That meant no one had bothered him. And Draco liked it that way because if people talked to him they would say something funny and he just might laugh. And then everyone would stare at him. Which he did not want.

Then, _it _happened.

Crabbe or Goyle, Draco wasn't sure, went to grab their bag from the overhead compartment. While doing so, the stupid git knocked over Draco's case. His freaking _guitar _case. And it landed heavily onto the ground and Draco could have sworn that he heard a snap or a pop. Crabbe/Goyle repeatedly apologized, but Draco acted like it was nothing. When, in reality, he felt like crying. Crying like a high school girl that had just been horribly dumped by her boyfriend in front of all her friends. Something like that.

Draco didn't realize how badly damaged it was until he got home. After an hour of saying hello to his mother, ignoring his father, and trying to remember where his room was. He then proceeded to open the case and saw the damage.

A few strings were broken, a huge dent in the side, scratches all over it (probably from him, but whatever) and little bullet shaped dents surrounding the giant one. Draco knew that it was a cheap guitar, but not _that _cheap! It made him angry.

Plus he couldn't fix it because he wasn't at school. And he couldn't ask his mom because she didn't know that he had bought another one. And he couldn't ask his father because he didn't know that he even played.

So, in short, Draco was screwed.

"Why?!" Draco screamed to himself, throwing himself onto his green and black bed. He landed with a soft thud and the aroma of self loathing surrounded him. He squeezed his stressed out face into his overly stuffed pillow and sighed in the scent of self loathing.

"I guess that I could tell mom… but then she'd freak out and blah blah blah blah…" Draco said to himself. He turned his face to the side so that he could breathe, towards the wall. He was staring right at that _thing_. That instrument that broke his heart earlier that year. And all Draco could do was stare at it and forget about the black one on the floor.

Slowly, Draco pushed himself up off of his bed, his feet resting stiffly on the ground. With his stomach in a knot, the blonde stood up from his bed and took a few uncertain steps towards the wall. And he just stared at that beautiful, glossy tan guitar.

It was worn and obviously used beforehand. The strings looked old and almost crusty looking. All over the guitar, even on the back of it, was messy black hand writing. Each sentence in a different language. Some German, others English, a few in French. Chinese, Japanese, Korean, several different African languages. Draco didn't even recognize most of them. But he had memorized almost all of them. What each and every one of them said. He still knew, but pretended like he didn't because it hurt too much to remember.

Draco let out a heavy sigh, reaching out with one hand to grab the guitar and running the other through his hair. He slowly carried the instrument back over to his bed. Almost like it was a bomb. Like he was afraid that any second, with the wrong move, it would blow up in his face and maybe it would.

So, Draco sat on his bed, staring at the guitar held in his hands. It felt almost foreign, but good at the same time. He hadn't used it in over a year, and Draco knew that he would feel like this. Or something like this.

The blonde quickly and nervously picked up the guitar, lifting the guitar strap and putting it around his shoulder. He knew what he wanted to play. It'd been in his head for a year. He took in a sharp breath and started to strum the strings.

"_The boy's gone. The boy's gone home.  
The boy's gone. The boy's gone home._

What will happen to a face in the crowd when it finally gets too crowded.  
And what will happen to the origins of sound after all the sounds have sounded  
Well I hope I never have to see that day but by god I know it's headed our way  
So I better be happy now that the boy's going home.  
The boy's gone home.

And what becomes of a day for those who rage against it  
And who will sum up the phrase for all left standing around in it

Well I suppose we'll all make our judgment calls  
We'll walk it alone, stand up tall, then march to the fall  
So we better be happy now that we'll all go home.  
That we'll all go home.

Be so happy with the way you are  
Just be happy that you made it this far  
Go on be happy now.  
Please be happy now.

Because you say that this, this is something else (alright)  
I say that this, this is something else (well alright)  
I say that this, oh, this is something, this is something else  
Oo thi-thi-thi-thi-this is all, thi-thi-thi-thi-this is yeah,  
thi-thi thi-thi-thi-this is all something else

Well I tried to live my life and lived it so well  
But when it's all over is it heaven or is it hell  
So I better be happy now that no one can tell, nobody knows  
I'm gonna be happy with the way that I am  
I'm gonna be happy with all that I stand for  
I'm gonna be happy now because the boy's going home.

The boy's gone home.

Yeah the boy's gone home.  
Yeah the boy's gone home.  
Yeah the boy's gone home."

Draco let the last line echo a little. He looked at the guitar as the note slowly faded around him. Out of pure habit, Draco smiled to himself a little and looked up beside him, expecting Ron to be sitting there next to him. Coming back into reality, Draco felt his smile falter, realizing that the fiery red head wasn't there with him. That he was back to playing by himself for ten days. A sense of emptiness and loneliness engulfed him.

"That was beautiful, Draco." A light female voice said from behind the blonde. Draco turned around, his eyes slightly wide. In his doorway was his mother. Her hair was up in a tight bun with very little makeup on. She was wearing a dark forest green robe with fuzzy flippers to match it. Narcissa had a small, sad smile on her face.

"Thanks, mom." Draco feebly and awkwardly replied. They uncomfortably stared at each other for a minute, Narcissa clearing her throat.

"I didn't realize that you still played." She said, trying to sound sincere. It came out a bit too harsh for Draco's liking.

"Not… as much as I want to." Draco replied. It was as bland as he could put it. But it was a complete lie. He'd been playing almost none stop every night at Hogwarts. With Ron.

_Stop it. _Draco thought to himself, snapping himself back onto earth.

"When did you get that black one?" His mother politely questioned, pointing to the black guitar dumped on Draco's floor as she took a step into his bedroom. Draco turned his attention to it for a second, then just to the ground beside it. He couldn't stand to look at it because it reminded him of the guitar he was holding. And that just made him sad.

"A year ago." Draco replied. He hated lying to his mother, especially since she was keeping this a secret from his father. She raised an eyebrow at this and took in a lungful of air.

"Really? I hadn't noticed. You're good at hiding things." She slowly said. She seemed to be looking past Draco, even though her eyes were right on him.

"I used my own money to get it, if that's what you're worrying about." Draco said, lifting the guitar away from him and almost throwing it on his bed. Being near it stung his heart.

"You could have asked me. But it doesn't seem to matter. What happened to it?" She replied, sounding worried. Draco hated it when she worried over nothing.

"Crabbe. Or Goyle. I can't remember which." Draco replied, furrowing his eyebrows and making it look like he cared for a minute. The only thing he cared about at the moment was the glossy but worn brown guitar next to him.

"Oh. I'm glad that you have another one, though. Well, it's getting late. You should get some sleep, dear." Narcissa said, rubbing her face and trying to clear away the stress from the day. Draco immediately felt sorry for her.

"Same goes to you, mom." Draco softly replied. He gave her a small smile and she smiled back. She turned to walk out of the room and was almost around the door frame when she stopped in her tracks and turned back to Draco. She paused for a minute.

"Was that song about your father?" Narcissa quietly asked. It felt like she was afraid that Lucius would pop out of the wall and scream like hell if he heard her. Draco sadly smiled to himself and looked at the floor.

"No. Maybe. A little bit. I don't know." Draco replied with a heavy sigh. Narcissa inwardly smiled at him, nodded, and closed the door behind her. All in one motion. Almost too fast for Draco's worn out brain to catch. He didn't really care, though. Because now his mother could get some sleep and he could practice his guitar in his room. Safely, because his parents were on the other side of the mansion.

Draco set the guitar on the floor next to him, carefully and gently, then laid back on his arms crossed behind his head and his legs stretched out along the length of his bed. It felt nice to lie in his nice warm bed, even if there weren't the usual snores that he was used to around him. Or the usual annoying Crabbe and Goyle. Or the usual pompous ass that was Snape. Or homework or classes or meals in the Great Hall.

Or even Ron.

Draco didn't think that he would miss the red head this much. And he'd never say that out loud. Not to anyone. But in the past few months Ron had grown on him. It felt… weird to play without asking "How'd it sound?" and getting the usual reply of "It was amazing," and then they'd have a weird little conversation about nothing and Draco would end up smiling. Which he never did and it felt good to be able to smile around someone else rather than his mother.

The blonde sighed to himself and stared up at the ceiling, tracing all the little delicate squares with his eyes. Now he knew why the red head stared at it so much. It was so easy to get lost in your own little world, just by looking up.

It was quiet, almost too quiet for Draco. But Ron had his iPod. Damn.

Leaning over slightly, Draco reached with one hand and flipped a switch on a small portable radio that was next to his bed. His mother hadn't even noticed it there. Music started to flow out of it, quietly. But it was pure music. And Draco liked it, even though he didn't know the song or who it was by.

So he stared up at the ceiling, letting the music flow over him like a blanket. Starting to feel a little sleepy, the blonde closed his eyes for a minute. He pictured himself back at Hogwarts, playing the guitar and smiling and having Ron tell him it was amazing even though it wasn't. And having a blast while doing it.

Maybe Ron was right. He'd probably end up staring at the walls all break.

LLLLLLLLLLLLL

There we go! I did that in just about two hours! :D Personal record. Anyway, I do hope that everyone liked it. Next up is Ron's Winter Break. I know, short, but I don't want to spend that much time on this. But it has to be done. Anyway, please leave a review!


	14. Smile

A/N: So, I'm feeling ok right now. My stomach hurts a little, but it always does so whatever. Anyway, I know I JUST posted another chapter last night, but I'm in a good mood so I'm going to do another one right now. So, enjoy it. Please leave a review!

LLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

Ron looked around his room and felt empty.

The train ride back to London had been normal. Laughing and having a good time with his friends, helping Neville find Trevor, and eating way too much candy. It had felt nice to be connected with his friends again. Ron felt like he'd been connecting with them ever since listening to Draco play. And maybe he was right. And maybe he didn't care. Whatever.

The train ride was over, tight hugs from his mother, teasing from the twins until they got their hugs, and the long trip home. Ron felt oddly content during that time. But after he got home, Ron went up to his room and felt alone. It was about the time to go to that class room and Ron had actually stood up to do so, but then remembered that he was at home. Not at school. And it sucked because Ron was in a really good mood.

So instead, the red head lay on the floor, staring at the ceiling. The odd wooden pattern of it could keep him entertained for hours, if he wanted it that way. It was weird, how Ron could be so interested in something so bland. Something that most people wouldn't even look twice at because, hey, it's a freaking ceiling.

"Hey, little brother." Ron heard from his door and a knock. He knew that Fred would walk in without a response anyway. Ron sat up from the floor just in time to see his older brother throw himself onto his bed with a loud flop. The red head sighed and rolled his eyes to himself.

"What?" Ron questioned, staring at Fred. Fred pouted and put his hand to his heart.

"Can't a brother want to spend time with his sibling?" Fred asked in a fake-pathetic sounding voice. Ron clenched his jaw.

"No, really, what is it?" Ron said back. Fred rolled his eyes and settled into the bed.

"George took a shower and I got bored." Fred replied in a monotone voice with a huff at the end. Ron frowned to himself. He knew it was something like that.

"Ok." Ron said, not really sure what to say next. Fred turned his head to the side so he was facing his little brother. He then awkwardly looked away.

"So… how's school?" Fred said, shifting uncomfortably. Ron raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

"You know, school. Where you go to learn shit you don't need in life and to hook up with people and-"

"I know, I know. Why are you asking?" Ron replied, holding his hands in front of him, like he was defending himself. Fred smiled to himself and turned his head back to the ceiling.

"Just asking. Is it wrong to want to get to know your little brother?" Fred answered. Ron leaned back on his hands and let out a long sigh.

"Do you really want to know, or are you just asking to pass the time?" The red head questioned, almost sounding inpatient. Fred looked like he was in mock thought for a second, and then eagerly nodded his head 'yes'.

"Oh, yes I do." Fred replied with a smile. Ron sighed and looked at the floor, trying to gather his thoughts.

He couldn't tell Fred about Draco. Or, at least, not the whole story. Just leave out who it was. This would be hard, since Fred and George liked to know everything. He could always talk about class, but that would be boring. Or tell him about the time Draco threw the cauldron at him. That would anger Fred and keep him busy for a few minutes…

"Hello, you there?" Fred suddenly said, snapping Ron out of his thoughts. Ron lightly shook his head to clear away his thoughts, sighed, and looked at Fred.

"School has been busy and a hell hole." Ron blandly replied, trying not to laugh. The statement was completely opposite from what Ron felt, but it was all he could come up with. Fred raised an eyebrow and stared back at his brother.

"You're lying."

"I hate you."

"I love you, too. Now, tell me what's going on! I love to know stuff like this." Fred exclaimed in a whiny voice. For real this time. Ron would have covered his ears if he wasn't leaning on his hands.

"I've been staying out past curfew every night for two months." Ron spat out. He didn't want to put it like that, but not telling anyone about _anything _for about three months or so was killing him. And he could trust Fred. Or hoped that he could.

"Really? Hadn't noticed." Fred replied with a far-off thoughtful looking face. Ron snorted and rolled his eyes.

"I'd like to keep it that way. No one but Harry knows, ok? I don't care if George knows, but you _have _to keep quiet about it, alright?" Ron replied, pointing at Fred. His older brother pouted and put a hand to his chest.

"Of course, dear brother." Fred replied, but didn't add a little ring to it like he usually did. He actually sounded… serious, for once. It took Ron a minute to gather his thoughts again. He didn't think that it would be this hard to finally tell someone this.

"Well… I've been staying out and… listening to Muggle music." Ron nervously said. He had the sudden urge to curl himself into the fetal position, which he did. Fred chewed on the inside of his cheek.

"And who's the lucky lady playing?" Fred questioned with a sly smile. Ron kept his gaze away from his brother.

"I'm not telling. It's a secret." Ron replied. Fred scoffed at him.

"What're you, five? Secrets are meant to be broken." He said, a ghost of a smile on his face. Ron snapped his eyes back up to his brother with a hard look. Fred's smile disappeared.

"It's a secret." Ron said again, sounding harsher with his words. He didn't like being mean to his siblings, but it was a secret. And Ron was ready to carry it with him to his grave.

"Ok, ok, I get that. What kind of music do they play?" Fred sincerely asked, relaxing his face. Ron let his mind wander for a second and forgot that he was talking.

"Beautiful music." Ron said, a dreamy look on his face. Fred silently laughed to himself and Ron realized that he had said that out loud. He blushed to himself.

"I'm sure it is, but what _instrument_?" Fred said in between giggles. Ron pouted for a minute, trying to find the right words to say.

"Guitar, but it's not like normal guitar playing. You can really feel the emotion in the music. And the notes make the guitar sound like its crying." Ron said, the last part more to himself that to Fred. Fred smiled, looking away from Ron and back at the ceiling.

"This person must be special, huh?" Fred honestly said, not sounding childish or anything like that. And it surprised Ron a lot. Normally Fred and George would make fun of him for something like this. And it felt good to not be made fun of for once.

"No." Ron quietly replied with a giant blush. _Why are you blushing? _Ron thought to himself. _It's just Draco. No one special. Not really. Maybe. What?_

"Of course, of course. Oh, hey George." Fred suddenly said. Ron looked over at his door and saw his other older brother standing there. Almost a carbon copy of Fred. After 15 years of living with them you could tell the difference, though.

"What're you guys talking about?" George questioned, giving his brothers an odd look. His hair looked deep blood red and was sticking to his forehead. It was bothering Ron.

"Nothing." Ron awkwardly replied. Fred gave out a short laugh and bounced himself off the bed, almost directly next to his twin brother.

"Hate to leave you, but we have hell to raise." Fred said, putting an arm around George's shoulder. They both turned to walk out the door.

"Wait." Ron suddenly said, remembering what he had wanted to ask them. The two stopped in their tracks and turned to look back at Ron.

"What?" They said together. Ron cleared his throat.

"Why… why did you make it snow confetti?" Ron questioned, his voice cracking at the end of the sentence. Fred and George looked at each other and smiled.

"We like seeing people smile. But it's a secret." Fred replied. With that, the two briskly walked out of the room. Ron could hear them mumbling to each other, but he didn't care what they were saying. He was just happy that his brothers did something to make others happy instead of themselves.

The red head looked at the ceiling, a dreamy expression on his face.

---

"Ron, dear, you have a letter!" His mother called from the kitchen. Ron quickly ran to her from the living room.

It was only four days into break and it was killing Ron. He had just been sitting around all break doing nothing. Since he was actually keeping up with his classes, there wasn't much homework to do. Which sucked, because now Ron was bored out of his mind. He could always go and throw some gnomes, but that would get boring after a while, too.

"Thanks, mom." Ron said as he took the letter from her. It didn't have a return address on it. He even flipped it over to check. No name, no nothing. Just "Ron Weasly, The Burrow" on the front. It was odd, because Ron knew it wasn't from harry or Hermione because it wasn't their handwriting. And Ron didn't have very many other friends at school.

Ron quickly walked out of the kitchen and up the long flight of stairs to his bedroom. He quickly closed the door behind him and sat down on his lumpy bed. Feeling nervous, Ron ripped open the letter (creating a mess of paper, might I add) and carefully took out the letter.

_Dear Weasly,_

_You asked me to mail you when I got another song down, and so I did. I actually played this a few days ago, but it would be weird to mail a person right when you got home, right? I don't know. I don't mail people. Hopefully the letter isn't too bent. The lyrics are on the back, if you want to read them. I'll play it when school starts back up. Remind me, though, because I'll forget. _

_Break is going well…? I don't know what to write now. The paper is too empty just to mail it off, though. I think that you were right. So far, all break I've just been holed up in my room staring at the walls. Just another six days though. Fuck life. _

_Crabbe or Goyle (can't remember) ruined my black guitar. I have another one, but don't ask me a single thing about it. I don't like to think about it and haven't told anyone about it. Except for you. Why did I? Anyway, maybe someday you'll learn about it but not right now. It actually stays in tune, unlike that cheap black one. _

_Have a great break._

_From Malfoy._

Ron re-read the letter at least three times. Why had Draco word vomited all of this paper? It didn't make a whole lot of sense to the red head. But that didn't matter. He was just glad that soon, in six days, he'd be back at school and could listen to that music again.

It would be hard, though, not to ask any questions about that guitar. Ron really did want to know. But he also did not want to ruin what was going on. Which sounded weird to Ron, even as he thought it.

Ron sighed to himself and lay back on his bed. What was going on is his head lately? He put a hand on his forehead, massaging it a little, hoping to get rid of the aching headache that was forming.

Ron just wanted break to end.

LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

There we go. I had to rush the ending a little because my hand is starting to cramp a whole ton because I've been typing for like two hours nonstop. The ending isn't what I wanted it to be, but I'm still happy. Hopefully all of you guys liked it, too. So, please leave a review and tell me what you think!


	15. I Saw Jane Doe

A/N: Everything has been so stressful lately. Again. So, like always, I'm going to write a chapter based on NOTHING and hope for the best. I really don't want to rant about it because I know that you guys probably don't care. But I just want to say that this chapter may not be the best that it could be. I'm just writing it to clear my head and move on with the story. Anyway, **the song used is Jane Doe by NeverShoutNever. **Got it memorized?

LLLLLLLLLL

The train ride back to Hogwarts was relaxing and stressful and carefree. Ron felt jittery and calm at the same time. It didn't make sense to him.

After they got back to Hogwarts, all Ron could think about was going to that classroom at his regular time after Dinner. Of course, Dinner was amazing as always. Bright colours all over the place, people chatting away and creating a loud murmur amongst the hall, and all the food anyone could ever want. The red head felt right at home.

"It sure is great to be back, right mate?" Harry said through a mouthful of food, smiling widely at Ron. Ron smiled back.

"Of course it is." Ron replied, grabbing for another plate of toast or something. Ron didn't know what it was, but it tasted good. Hermione looked between her two friends, giving Harry an odd look.

"What are you two so happy about?" She said, raising her eyebrow slightly. Harry grinned at her.

"Is it so wrong to be _happy _at school?" Harry questioned, trying to sound hurt but just looked dumb. Ron had to hide his laugh.

"Well…no…" Hermione trailed. Harry nodded his head at her and leaned back in his seat.

"Well, there you go. Ron, didn't you need to go somewhere?" Harry suddenly said, turned towards his best mate and giving him a small wink. Ron blinked a few times before shoveling a few spoonfuls of food into his mouth.

"Oh yeah, gotta go do this… thing at the… place." Ron dumbly said in between his food. He smiled at his friends, waved, and quickly stood up and turned around. The red head practically flew out of the Grand Hall. He was smiling to himself, even though his stomach hurt from eating so much food. And he felt over weight from eating it all. But that didn't matter right now. Ron got to go see Draco and listen to music. And see Draco. And talk to him and-

Ron stopped in his tracks, almost falling over himself. Since when was he _giddy _to see the blonde? Ron shook his head, trying to clear away his oncoming thoughts and slowly starting to walk again. If he kept thinking about it, he'd start to daydream about something. And Ron didn't want to get caught up in his head right now.

Reaching the Grand Staircase, Ron practically jumped onto the first staircase that he could. It slowly started to move, much too slow for Ron's liking. He bounced on his feet a little, feeling his excitement spilling over a bit. He knew that he shouldn't be this excited to see someone that was kind-of-sort-of your friend, but Ron couldn't help it. And he didn't want to think about it too much.

The staircase stopped on the floor, almost like it was reading Ron's mind. He wouldn't be surprised, considering everything else in this castle. He clumsily got off of the stair case and it started to move away, slow like a snail. Ron brushed himself off and headed off down the hall. Curfew wasn't for another half hour or so, but something told Ron to go now. That way he'd have some time thinking of an excuse to make up for Hermione. If Harry didn't already make one up. Whatever.

The red head quickly made his way down the hall. He turned the corner and saw the door to that classroom. Ron felt himself smile and almost run over there. When he was about to enter through the door he stopped himself.

_I don't want to be creepily happy. _Ron thought. He took in a deep breath, slowly let it out, and calmly walked into the classroom.

Draco was sitting on one of the tables, his back turned from the door. Ron felt himself try to smile, but he refused to let himself. So instead, he just stood there for a moment. He noticed that Draco wasn't playing the same black guitar. Instead it was a light brown/tan one with writing all over it. Ron couldn't read all of it because it was a tad bit too dark, but he could tell that there were many different languages on it. He took a step forward and it echoed in the room.

Draco turned around, his eyes slightly wide and his mouth barely parted. Once his mind registered that it was Ron, all of his muscles seemed to relax at the same time. He smiled slightly.

"Yo." Draco said, sounding happy and relieved at the same time. Ron nodded his head back at him, smiled, and moved over to the table the blonde was sitting at.

"Got my letter?" Ron suddenly asked, and then wanted to punch himself. That was _not _what he had wanted to say. But it was too late. Draco nodded his head.

"Yeah, but I couldn't mail back. I was afraid my father or something would see me mailing it and ask questions." Draco replied, not looking at Ron. The red head nodded to himself.

"Yeah." Ron dumbly replied, rubbing the back of his head. He sat down at the table across from Draco, looking around the room.

"You're just in time for a new song." Draco suddenly said, sounding cool and smooth with his words. He looked up at Ron a smiled slightly. Ron stared at him.

"Really?"

"Yes. Just got it down yesterday." Draco replied, sounding happy. Ron stared at him, smiling slightly.

"I'd like to hear it." Ron quietly said, his face slightly pink. Neither of them noticed, though. Draco strummed his fingers across the strings, creating a more beautiful sound than the black guitar. Ron didn't know that that was possible. He thought the black guitar was the best invention ever. But this light tan one that Draco didn't want to talk about was amazing. Right, Draco didn't want to talk about it.

"Here we go." Draco said, smiling slightly as he started to play the notes.

"_Jane Doe.  
I don't think I know you,  
But I know for sure.  
That you are beautiful.  
So baby let me know  
Your name.  
Damn what's her name?  
Cause I'm overly attracted  
And terribly convinced that she could be my princess  
And I could be her prince  
And I felt that way. since  
Since I saw Jane Doe."_

Ron looked up at Draco as he started to play a small solo. The blonde looked very happy, playing away on his guitar and smiling to himself. The tan guitar was the perfect shape for Draco. The black one had been a little bit too big, Ron thought. But that didn't matter. All that mattered was the music.__

"Jane Doe.  
I don't think I know you,  
But I know for sure.  
That I could get to know ya.  
If you let me know  
Your name  
Damn what's her name?  
Cause I'm overly attracted  
And terribly convinced that she could be my princess  
And I could be her prince  
And I felt that way. since  
Since I saw Jane Doe.  
She's everything I want and more.  
She's everything I want for sure.  
She's everything that I want  
And to adore  
Well baby I am overly attracted  
And terribly convinced that she could be my lover  
But I think I lost my chance.  
You had me at first glance  
Ohh my Jane Doe."

The notes gently faded. Draco stared at his guitar for a moment, and then looked up at Ron and smiled. Ron smiled back at him.

"Where'd you hear that?" Ron asked, breaking the silence. Draco shrugged, still smiling.

"I heard it on the radio a few nights ago. Thought it'd be a good song to play, so I went to a Muggle library and got the tabs for it."

"That what?"

"Nothing. Just guitar lingo." Draco replied, still smiling. He didn't set his guitar aside like he usually did, which Ron thought was odd. He thought that Draco being so happy was odd enough. Yeah, the red head had just been giddy like this not too long ago. But for _Draco _to be this happy? It just did not happen in the world of Ron.

"So how was break?" Ron suddenly said. He wanted to punch himself again. He hated how much he word vomited, as Draco put it.

"Just like you said. All I did was sit in my room and stare at the walls. Went outside once." Draco replied with a small smile. It was a teenager thing to do, and Ron didn't care.

"Really? So I was right." Ron replied, laughing slightly. Draco tried to hide his smile.

"Whatever. How about you?" Draco awkwardly asked. Ron scratched the back of his head and looked around the room.

"Threw some gnomes, had Christmas dinner, went outside a lot. Normal stuff, I guess." Ron replied, awkwardly smiling. Draco rolled his eyes.

"Throwing gnomes? Why on earth would you need to do that?" Draco questioned, almost sounding incredulous. Ron laughed loudly.

"It's a long story." He replied between laughs. Draco just rolled his eyes again.

"Ok, ok."

"Got anymore songs?" Ron said after his laughter calmed down. Draco shifted himself on the table.

"Of course."

---

Draco Malfoy was not happy.

Of course, he looked like he was happy. And he really wanted to be. Nothing bad had happened over break. It had just been boring. Maybe it was just instinct to be mad. He wasn't sure. Draco just knew that he wasn't as happy as he appeared to be.

Whenever he played that guitar, though, Draco felt like laughing. Like everything that happened almost a year ago was just a dream and he was smiling in front of people again. But when he put the guitar down, reality came crashing back and Draco had to be sad again. It was like the only time Draco was _really _happy was when he was playing that guitar. The guitar that belonged to the person that tore Draco's life apart.

The blonde shook his head back and forth, looking at the ceiling above his bed. He had just returned from that classroom not to terribly long ago. He was too tired to change into his pajamas. His shoes were even still on. Draco's school clothes lay in a heap at the end of his bed. He had meant to wear them to Dinner. But then before going down, Draco decided that he wasn't hungry. That eating wasn't important right now.

So, instead, he was wearing faded black almost-skinny jeans, a loose brown t-shirt, his high-top Converse shoes, and his normal black hoodie lying on the ground next to his bed. It felt good to be wearing what he wanted right now. At home he always had to look nice. Unless he went out. But that didn't matter to Draco right now.

Draco Malfoy lay in bed, his arms folded behind his head, and he felt both calm and stressed and tired all at the same time.

The thing that stressed him the most, though, was how happy he was to be around the red head. Draco didn't know just how much he had missed him. Not that he would ever say that out loud. Or even think it ever again. But Draco was happy to be around someone that let him be happy again. Maybe it was just the guitar, maybe it was just him. Draco couldn't really tell which right now. And, to be honest, be really didn't care all that much. It just felt good to be around a… friend.

"Friend." Draco silently said to himself. He never considered himself having a friend before. It felt odd and weird and not normal to say out loud. But it also felt right. And Draco didn't really care. He didn't care how fast his mind was reeling. So fast that it felt like it wasn't moving. And it gave him a peaceful headache.

"Whatever." Draco mumbled to himself, rolling over in his bed and covering himself with his blankets. It was too late to be thinking about life.

He didn't even change into pajamas.

LLLLLLLLLL

So, there you all go. I have a stomach ache right now, so I'm sorry that it didn't' end very smoothly. I just wanted to get this done so I can start on another chapter tomorrow. Anyway, I do hope that everyone enjoyed it! Please leave a review and tell me what you think!


	16. On The Same Boat

A/N: Wow, I just realized that this is the 16th chapter. And nothing has happened. I want to speed this up, but at the same time I don't want to because it's already at a good pace and I want to fit everything in that I want to. Please let me know what you guys think about the pace of this.It's kind of important. **The song used is Dare4Distance by NeverShoutNever.** Anyway, please enjoy the story!

LLLLLLLLLL

Draco stared at his feet as he walked through the halls, his brain totally fried.

It was currently lunch, but Draco didn't feel like eating. He never did whenever he was thinking. Plus eating just got in the way. Maybe he had an eating disorder. Draco didn't really care. Thinking right now was way more important than his health.

It had been good to see the read head the night before. Actually, it had been great. Being help up in his room with nothing but a portable radio had killed Draco a little on the inside. But seeing Ron last night had lifted his spirits. It really did.

Why was that? Every time the blonde saw Ron, he just had to smile. Draco didn't like it, even if it meant that he could be himself for a few hours. It was just weird to him that one day you go from being enemies to being some sort of friends. Not that Draco minded it. It was just odd to him, that's all.

But what troubled Draco more was the fact that Ron accepted it so fast. Normally he would have pictured the red head throwing a fit and a few punches. Not just rolling over and accepting it. Draco didn't really mind, to be honest. He didn't mind anything about this situation. It was just weird. And not totally normal. Draco wasn't one to complain, though. And he was sure that the red head was thinking something along the same lines.

Draco slowed his walking to a halt, staring out a window with a view of the lake. He looked at the faint reflection of himself. Pale messy blonde hair, round pink lips, sickly-pale skin and a facial expression that could kill. He didn't like it. Not at all. And as Draco stared into his pale grey eyes, he thought about his guitar. The guitar that he didn't want Ron to ask any questions about, but he still played it for the other boy anyway. How stupid was he? Of _course _Ron would ask something. Eventually, if not soon. Draco knew that Ron was big on keeping promises, but curiosity also killed the cat. And Ron was a Gryffindor.

He sighed and looked away from himself, a knot tying itself in his stomach. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea, playing for Ron almost every night. And the more Draco tired to fight himself on this subject, the more he found reasons to keep playing.

_Ron likes the music. No one has since him. _Draco thought to himself, knitting his eyebrows together. _Besides, I can get all the practice I need and have feedback right away. It's not a bad situation at all. There's nothing wrong and nothing will go wrong. And if Ron asks anything about the guitar, I can make something up or bullshit my way out of the question or something like that. _Draco thought. Yeah. That sounded about right. His face relaxed, his eyes becoming heavy and tired feeling.

Taking a brisk step forward, Draco continued down the hall, ignoring his reflection in the windows and trying not to think for once. This proved very hard to do. Increasing his pace, Draco sharply turned the corner at the end of the hall. Which resulted in him running right into someone.

"I'm sorry." Draco immediately said, getting his balance back after a second. He looked up from his feet. Right into the eyes of Harry Potter and gang. Fuck.

"What?" Hermione blurted out like she had never heard anyone say "sorry". Ron just stared at Draco with wide eyes.

"Well, shove off you three." Draco mumbled. He didn't really feel like talking to them at the moment. Except for Ron, but that was difficult considering Harry—fucking-Potter was standing _right there. _Augh.

"Shove off yourself, Malfoy." Harry replied without really thinking. In a swift movement, he and Hermione stormed past him. Draco felt them brush by, but didn't really see them. All he could focus on was Ron.

The red head looked like he desperately wanted to smile at Draco. Or say hello. Or something. Draco just wanted to be nice to him. But they both knew that it wasn't a good idea. Not only would Hermione freak out, but Harry would, too. And Draco didn't even want to think about Harry's reaction. And Draco didn't want to ruin their friendship.

Wait, what? When did _that _happen? Draco blinked and looked past Ron. Since when did he start to care about others so much? Each and every day since a year ago, Draco had started to become more and more like his fake self, and it had started to feel right. And then wham. Ron walked into the classroom.

"You coming, mate?" Harry called a short distance behind Draco. The blonde knew that he was talking to Ron. The red head blinked several time and looked over at Harry, then back at Draco. He shifted his weight, gave this awkward inward smile that looked more like a frown, and nodded his head.

"Bye." Ron mumbled, just loud enough for Draco to hear. With his back turned towards Ron's friends, Draco gave a small smile that probably looking more like a grimace and nodded. Ron awkwardly stepped aside from Draco and over towards Harry and Hermione. Draco turned with him, watching the three friends walk off together down the hall. Hermione looked upset, Harry looked like his usual self, and Ron looked like… Ron. Confused and sad and pouty.

Once they had disappeared from Draco's sight, the blonde sighed, running a hand through his greasy-ish hair. That had been more stressful than he had thought.

His heart had never pounded so fast.

---

Ron lay on the floor this time, his back hurting. It had been a long day and he wasn't used to doing so much stuff at one time. Draco sat on the floor across from him, criss-cross-applesauce style. His guitar was in his lap as Draco listened to that green iPod, only one headphone in, and randomly would strum a note or two. Ron just stared at the ceiling.

"I'm sorry about Harry." Ron suddenly said his voice cracking slightly. Draco stopped playing, his gaze going straight to what he could see of the red head's face. Which was only his chin, his nose, and a little bit of his eyes. The blonde laughed slightly.

"What are you apologizing for?" Draco responded, turning back to his guitar. Ron sat up on his elbows, feeling slightly overweight in the position. His stomach was pushed into a bulging bulge that didn't look very attractive. Whatever.

"Because he shouldn't have said that." Ron said with an emphasis on the "DUH" part. He even made a 'duh' looking kind of face. It almost made the blonde laugh.

"So? I was mean, too. Besides, Potter doesn't know any better. How could he know that we're… something? Friends? Enemies that like music?" Draco replied, sounding very serious. It made Ron laugh, though, and he wasn't quite sure why.

"Friends… I like the sound of that." Ron mumbled to himself. Draco felt his nerves bundling together in a tight knot. The kind of nerves that probably shouldn't be there right now, but Draco couldn't help it.

"Ok, we're friends. Or something. Whatever you want to call it." Draco awkwardly replied. Ron smiled to himself.

"Really? Because I've been thinking about that a lot. It must sound weird to hear, I know. But… it's the kind of subject the eats a person a bit, you know?" Ron word vomited, staring at Draco with his eyebrows slightly knitted together. All Draco could do was nod his head.

"Yeah…" He trailed, not really sure what else to say at the moment. It was horribly awkward and uncomfortable for him.

"Got anymore song down?" Ron suddenly said, not getting the memo "What an awkward moment". Draco smiled slightly to himself and nodded his head.

"Yeah, just got it down the day before break ended. Want to hear it?" Draco questioned. Ron nodded his head, sitting up so he, too, was sitting criss-cross-applesauce. He felt like they were in kindergarten or something.

"Go ahead and play." Ron said. Draco nervously nodded his head.

"_I got the concept and came to the conclusion  
That the top floor was just an illusion  
To the fact that I go this break in my back  
That I can't get out; I can't figure out how  
You appeared right in front of me  
Before your march down south a university  
Is where you spend your daylight  
But we're both just waiting for this Friday night_

Although the distance is daring  
We both know how to drive  
Wo-o

We can't make-up for the lost time that we both apologies for  
I can't stand the fact that this extremity is the center of my day

I see where your coming from  
We've been on the same boat since day one  
I see how you like to run  
Back to the things that got you here

Although the distance is daring  
We both know how to drive  
Wo-o

We can't make-up for the lost time that we both apologies for  
I can't stand the fact that this extremity is the center of my day"

Draco broke into a short little solo. Ron just sat there, staring at Draco with such sad eyes as the blonde played. It made Ron wonder what kind of crap someone had to go through to get this much emotion out of them. It made him sad, really.__

"Mondays I sleep away  
Tuesdays I lay awake  
Wednesdays are the worst  
Thursdays I reminisce  
Fridays I see your face  
And I can breathe."

The notes slowly faded off as the echoed slightly in the room. Ron kept staring at Draco, even long after the blonde had looked up and was staring at him as well. It didn't feel weird or awkward or uncomfortable like it normally did. It actually felt kind of… normal. At least to Ron.

"How do you play like that?" Ron asked, his eyes never leaving the blonde. Draco blinked a few times.

"Play like what?"

"Play like… if you don't put all your emotions into it, the world will fall apart. Like, you understand the lyrics on such a personal level that no one else really does." Ron replied. His eyes finally left Draco, now glued to the floor. That wasn't the way he wanted to articulate his thoughts, but it sounded good enough. Draco stared at him, his mouth parted slightly.

"You're word vomiting again." Draco said. And that was all he could say. Anything else would lead him down a path that he wasn't ready for. And he was sure that Ron wouldn't want to hear it.

"I do that a lot." Ron replied with a groan, laying back on the ground and covering his face. The _one _time he tried to sound cool, he ended up sounding like an idiot. He hated his stupid big fat mouth sometimes.

"Yeah, but everyone does. I'm sure even Mr. Perfect-Potter does it, too." Draco replied, not trying to sound mean. He meant to have it be sarcastic though. He didn't expect Ron to laugh at it.

"Yeah, actually, he does. It's kind of funny sometimes." The red head said with a laugh. It was funny, actually. Now that he thought about it. And he couldn't help but laugh.

"See, everyone does it. One of these days I'll crack and do it, too." Draco mumbled. He pouted slightly as his legs went numb. Yay.

"I can't wait for that." Ron replied with another laugh. Before he knew it, he was laying flat on his back, his eyes staring straight at the ceiling and the room filled with his own laughter. Draco was almost worried for a second, but then he remember that this was Ron he was dealing with.

"What's so funny?" Draco huffed, leaning closer to Ron. The red head calmed his laughter down to giggles.

"I can just picture you, going on and on about something weird like cats or guitars or even how big Snape's nose is or something. And you'll keep going on and on about it without realizing it and it'll be hilarious." Ron replied, ending with a giant fit of laughter. Draco scowled at him for a moment, but before he knew it he was laughing, too. He could picture himself doing that as well. And it was quite funny.

So the two boys sat together for a while, the air filled with fun laughter and small banter back and forth. And Ron couldn't stop laughing and rolling on the floor. And Draco couldn't stop scowling and then smiling shortly after.

And neither of them could stop from having fun.

LLLLLLLLLL

Wow, I did this in less than an hour. I wanted to get it done, though, because I'm going to go see **Where The Wild Things Are **tomorrow and I might not have had enough time to finish this before I went to my dad's. Hopefully this is 2000 words. I wasn't really keeping track. Any who, please leave a review! I love them!


	17. Up, Up, And Away

A/N: I'm so sorry that I haven't posted anything in such a long time! So much has been going on that it's hard to keep up with it all. So, here's a brand new chapter for you guys! Thank you everyone that has left a review! Please read and let me know what you think!

LLLLLLLLLL

"That was really odd yesterday."

Ron looked up from his cereal, a few flakes falling out of his mouth and a small line of milk dribbling down his chin. It must not have looked very attractive because Hermione looked away from him in an instant. The red head didn't care, though.

"What was?" Ron questioned after he swallowed his food and wiped the milk away. Hermione rolled her eyes at him.

"Malfoy, who else? He just seemed… to polite, that's all." Hermione replied, crossing her arms over her chest. Harry let out a sigh next to Ron while Ron coughed.

"I think you're over analyzing stuff again." Harry mumbled. Ron nodded his head in agreement.

"Yeah. Who cares if he was being nice? It's good for a change." Ron replied, pushing his bowl away from him. He wasn't hungry anymore.

"I know, it's just… weird." Hermione said again, trailing a bit at the end. Ron really wanted to scream at her. He knew that Draco was just being nice because _he _was there, not because of anything else. But then Ron felt conceited thinking that. And then he would wonder why he thought that, and it would just go in a big never-ending circle of confusion.

"It's almost like you _want _him to me a meanie." Harry quietly said again, a hint of a pout in his voice. Hermione's face flushed bright red in anger or something – Ron didn't really care – and her eyebrows knitted together in a tight V.

"No, that's not it at all! I'm just saying, that's all." Hermione screamed at them. Again, Ron really just wanted to scream back at her and cover his ears and bitch like a little kid. But that wasn't mature.

"Whatever, 'Mione." Harry mumbled before taking a long drink of something. Ron wasn't paying attention. Hermione continued to sit in her seat and glare at Harry for the rest of Breakfast. The rest of the day was filled with Hermione bitching at Harry, Harry acting innocent, and Ron being stuck in the middle.

You've got to love friends.

---

"Hermione, it's my only free period of the day. I'd love to spend it _not _listening to you nag at Harry." Ron impolitely snapped at Hermione. With that, he quickly stood up from his seat in the library, gathered his things in a messy fashion, and stormed out.

Ron was tired of hearing Hermione's voice. All day, all she did was _talk_. When Ron says that, he means it. All she did all through classes was _talk_. And at lunch all she did was _talk_. And during passing periods all she did was _talk_. It was driving Ron insane. And now, the last period of the day, which was his free one, Ron was forced to sit in the library and listen to her _talk_. He would have ripped out his hair right then and there, but then he remembered that he had legs and a voice, too.

So instead, the red head was storming through the hallways away from the library. He knew that he couldn't go to the Common Room because that was the first place Hermione would look for him. And then she would want to _talk_. And Ron knew that he couldn't go to the classroom because Harry would look there, too. Even though Harry didn't know what classroom, he knew that the classroom was on the floor. So that was an automatic no.

Ron slowed his pace a little, sighing to himself and running his free hand through his hair. Wandering the halls would be a good thing. He'd never really had a chance to do that. Ever. It wasn't exactly a good idea since god knows what lived in this place, but Ron thought that he'd give it a shot. He started to quicken his pace again, turning sharply down a hall he didn't recognize.

_Why was it so horribly awkward running into Malfoy yesterday? _Ron thought to himself. It had been bugging him all day. _It's weird, being happier around him than my own best mates right now. Why am I happier around him? It's not like we're that close. The only thing sticking us together is his guitar. Which he won't talk about. God, this is getting way too confusing. I just wish Hermione would stop talking about Malfoy. Because one of these days I know that I'm going to start word vomiting all over the place and something will come out and Malfoy will hate me. Why do I care if Malfoy hates me? What do I care? I need to stop asking myself questions._

Ron's mind ran in circles as he continued down unfamiliar hallways. It would go around and around in circles, never ending. And the sad thing was, he was rethinking the same things over and over. It was just about to drive him crazy. He stopped in his tracks, leaning all of his weight against the cold stone wall. His legs were bent at an awkward angle that made them look broken and it was beginning to hurt a little, but Ron didn't care. His thoughts were giving him a headache. He pressed a hand against his forehead, his eyes lazily fixed on the ground.

Everything was starting to become too much, and Ron wasn't really sure why because there was nothing wrong.

Using his legs, Ron pushed himself away from the wall and ran his hand through his hair. It was beginning to get cold and Ron wasn't sure where he was. He went to take a step, and at the same exact time a door on the other side of the hallway flew open. Another person with dashing blonde hair and uncertain footsteps came stumbling out.

"Eh, Malfoy?!" Ron exclaimed. He couldn't help it. Draco was the last person that he thought that he would see. The other boy was casually dressed. Black super-tight skinny jeans, a black shirt with some sort of logo on it, a black jacket with a small heart-shaped symbol up by the armpit, and old, dirty looking Converse on his feet. In his hand was his beat-up tan guitar. It was all very strange, but seemed to fir Draco all too well.

Draco flinched backwards for a second and blinked several times. His brain took a lot longer to register that it was _Ron_, not anyone else. He seemed to relax when it finally hit him.

"What're you doing down here?" Draco calmly said. Ron took a step back and stared blankly at Draco.

"Down here?"

"You're heading in the direction of the Slytherin Common Room." Draco flatly said, his eyes never leaving Ron. Ron took another step back, his eyes wide and bulging almost.

"Eh?! I'm in the dungeons?!" Ron exclaimed again. His mouth hung wide open, his eyes glued to the floor. Since when had he wandered down to the dungeons? He couldn't remember when. All he could remember was leaving the library, his thoughts going in circles, and now.

Draco laughed to himself. It was enough to snap Ron out his confused state. He looked back up at the blonde. Draco had his free hand covering his mouth, like he was trying to cover up the laugh that escaped. Too late.

"What time is it?" Ron slowly asked. He was afraid that it was nine or something, since Draco had his guitar. If that much time had passed, then maybe he should get his head checked. Just maybe.

"It's almost dinner time." Draco responded, a ghost of a smile still on his face. Ron felt himself flush slightly. Not _that_ much time had passed, but enough to make him a little concerned about his mental state.

"Oh…" Ron trailed off. Now that he ran out of things to talk about, it was awkward.

"So, what're you doing down here?" Draco quickly said. He picked up that awkward taste in the air, and he didn't want that right now.

"I… don't really know." Ron replied, flashing a goofy smile and scratching the back of his head. Draco smiled to himself and shook his head.

"Well, I'm off." Draco quickly said, turning on his heel and taking a few steps forward. Before Ron could even think, he reached towards Draco to grab him. Good thing he's a big klutz and missed him. Just by an inch, though. Draco turned around, sensing that Ron had started to follow him.

"Where… where're you going?" Ron said, fumbling over his words. He took a step back away from Draco. He was way too close for comfort.

"I'm going to play." Draco replied matter-of-factly, lifting his guitar and jabbing it at Ron slightly. As if he was making a point. Ron blinked a few times, knitting his eyebrows slightly.

"But it's only dinner time." Ron repeated Draco's earlier answer. Draco made an incredulous look at the red head and rolled his eyes slightly.

"I know that." Draco replied, clearing his throat slightly. It felt unattractive. Ron shifted his weight on his feet.

"But we don't usually meet up until closer to nine. It's only five-thirty." Ron said. He hoped that he didn't sound dumb, but he probably did. Draco rolled his eyes.

"I _know _that. I go early to practice." Draco said, giving Ron another incredulous look. The red head looked at the ground. He felt really dumb now.

"Care for some company?" Ron asked without thinking. He really wished that he would stop word vomiting. It was starting to kill him on the inside a little bit. Just a little. Draco stared at him for a second, and then jerkily started to move to the side. It looked like he was trying to dance or something.

"Yeah, but aren't you hungry?" Draco questioned, raising an eyebrow at Ron. The red head intently shook his head 'no'.

"If I go to the Dining Hall, I'll see Hermione. And I don't feel like listening to her _talk _anymore today, because all she did was _talk _all day. Then I yelled at her and left Harry in the middle of it, so he's probably not all the happy right now either." Ron said in a rush of words. It didn't really answer Draco's question. Maybe it did. Ron didn't care. He just didn't want to go to the Dining Hall.

"Ok…" Draco trailed, staring at Ron with a hard look. Like he was expecting him to continue on.

"So can I come with you?" Ron questioned again, feeling his face go bright red and his ears burn. Maybe all of this was so awkward because this was the first time he'd _really _talked to Draco outside of that classroom. And yesterday didn't count because Harry and Hermione were right there. Maybe right now didn't count, either, because anyone could come around the corner. Ron tried not to think about that last part or he'd become really paranoid.

"Um, sure." Draco said, nodding his head slightly as he turned and started to stalk off down the hallway. Ron stumbled after him, quickly catching up with the blonde. It wasn't that hard to do when you're a reasonable amount taller than the other. Whatever.

"How are we getting there?" Ron quietly asked. Draco turned towards him and raised an eyebrow. Like he was calling Ron an idiot, even though the red head knew that he wasn't.

"The stairs?" Draco replied, turning down a hall in a complete opposite direction of the Grand Staircase. Ron stumbled over himself, almost tripping, to catch up with Draco in the other direction. How embarrassing.

"But that's the wrong way." Ron said once he was caught up with the blonde again. He sure was fast for someone so small. Draco stopped in his tracks, turning towards a door. The hallway looked abandoned and like no one used it anymore. It was dirty and gross smelling. Quickly and almost silently, Draco turned towards the door and pushed it open. He stepped through it, turning slightly to wave Ron through it as well. The red head took a nervous step inside. Just inside the doorway was a platform. Ron looked all about him and saw a staircase. It didn't move like the Grand Staircase and was barely big enough to hold both Ron and Draco. It just zigzagged upwards until Ron couldn't see it anymore.

"It's a bit of a chore, but a great work out." Draco said, chuckling to himself. Ron's head snapped back to the blonde.

"How'd you find this?"

"Exploring." Draco replied, looking away from Ron and down at the ground. Ron looked away from Draco and back at the sky of staircases.

"Amazing." He said under his breath, smiling to himself. Draco cleared his throat again, taking a step upwards. He looked back at Ron, like they were about to embark on a journey or something.

"You sure you want to come? It's a long walk." Draco said. Ron nodded his head.

"I'm sure." He replied. Draco smiled before turning back around and starting to climb up the long and winding staircase.

"All right then."

LLLLLLLLLL

God, that was a lot longer than I thought it was and nothing happened. TRUST ME. Next chapter some stuff is actually going to start happening. I just wanted a chapter where they were interacting alone outside of the classroom. It was fun to write. And to picture Draco in an outfit like that. Anyway, please leave a kind review! Let me know what you guys think!


	18. I Had Ants In My Pants

A/N: I've been having a sad time lately, but thinking about the direction that I want to go in with this story made me happy, so I'm doing a chapter. Here it is! The song used is First Dance by NeverShoutNever. Enjoy it and leave a kind review!

LLLLLLLLLL

Ron was cold, but that was ok. At least it was pretty outside.

It had been a few weeks since Draco had shown Ron the back way to the classroom. Ever since then, Ron would cut dinner short or entirely to listen to Draco play. Hermione had started to bitch at him for it, and even though it was killing Ron how much Hermione nagged at him about it, Ron couldn't help it. He liked the music produced by Draco too much.

That sentence sounded so wrong in Ron's head, but good thing no one could read his mind.

The red head was happy, that that's all that mattered. Ron didn't care how much Hermione yelled at him. Ron didn't care that he was starting to fall behind in his classes again. Ron didn't care that he was spending less time with his best mates and more time with his worst enemy. Ron didn't care that it was cold and the snow was heavily falling. And Ron didn't care that Valentine's Day was around the corner, and he knew that no one would give him chocolate.

He was happy, and Ron didn't care.

---

"Today has been horrible." Ron said to himself as he sat down next to Fred and George at the lunch table. The twins stared at their younger brother, crumbs sticking to both of their faces.

"And why is that?" Fred questioned. Ron would have thought that it was odd of him to ask, but he didn't care about thinking right now. Being in a bad mood was more important.

"Hermione won't stop talking all the damn time, I'm starting to fall behind in my classes after going so long keeping up, Harry isn't talking to either me or Hermione which just means he doesn't want to get in the middle of everything. And if he does then Hermione is going to flip. And that's not a good thing." Ron word vomited all over the place. But it felt good to tell everyone all of this. He didn't want to bother Draco with such things like this. This was weird to think about, because he and Draco were friends.

"Maybe you should just tell Hermione to back off." George replied in between bites. Ron and Fred stared at George incredulously.

"What?"

"Have you ever met Hermione? She would kill me." Ron spat back. He didn't want to be mean, but it was hard not to be. I mean, seriously? Seriously? Has George ever spent more than five minutes with the woman?

"Sorry, just trying to help." George sheepishly said, shrinking back slightly and taking a giant bite of chicken. Fred rolled his eyes and turned towards Ron.

"Just tell her to lay off for a while. Or go read some books. Or something. She has to listen to you, you're friends." Fred replied. Ron stared at his older brother for a moment. He was just catching on that Fred and George were helping him. It felt weird.

"Did any other bad stuff happen today?" George asked, looking at Ron. The red head blushed slightly, looking away from the both of them.

"No one gave me any Valentine's stuff." Ron mumbled. Fred and George looked at each other a shrugged. George went back to eating while Fred looked back at Ron.

"That's life, little bro."

---

"Everyone find a partner and begin working on this potion." Snape, the potions master, drawled out, turning his back from the class and his cape swirling about him. Ron distantly thought that it made him look like a vampire. Brushing that thought away, Ron turned to look around the classroom. Everyone seemed to have a person to work with already. And, of course, Harry and Hermione were out of the question. They were already off in the corner working away. The red head kept looking around, even standing up on his tippy-toes to get a better look of the classroom. The only person he saw alone had shocking blonde hair.

Draco.

Ron almost smiled. He didn't mind working with the blonde anymore. He figured that they could actually have fun with this project this time instead of getting cauldrons thrown at each other. Yeah, having fun would be nice for once.

The red head quickly got up from his seat and raced across the room towards Draco. He figured the sooner he got there, the less likely it was for Snape to come over and take points away from him. And Ron really didn't need one more reason for Hermione to be mad at him. He stumbled over the chair next to Draco, practically falling into it. The blonde stared at him, wide-eyed, then quickly looked around him. No one seemed to be paying attention.

"What're you doing?" Draco asked, leaning towards Ron a little. It didn't sound rude to Ron, just an honest, curious question. Ron inwardly smiled at himself.

"Hermione's still mad at me and Harry's working with her. You mind if we work together?" Ron quietly said so only Draco could hear. The blonde backed away from the red head, shaking his head 'no'.

"Don't mind at all. Just expect Mrs. Naggy to be angry later." Draco mumbled, grabbing his text book from his back pack. Ron tried to hold back a laugh, but it escaped through his lips. His mouth made a loud sputtering noise as he turned bright red and covered his face.

"What?" Draco questioned, an eyebrow rising. That only made Ron laugh harder.

"Mrs. Naggy? Really? Did you just say that out loud?" Ron said in between laughs. Draco stared at him in utter confusion for a second.

"I said that out loud?" Draco said, sounding completely dumbfounded. He stared at the wall past Ron, his eyebrows slowly knitting together. Ron almost died of laughter right then and there.

"Yeah, you did." Ron replied with another loud laugh. He swore that Snape would look over any second, but Ron really didn't care right now.

"Oh…" Draco trailed a hint of a smile on his face. Ron folded his arms on the table and buried his head into them, trying to stifle the outburst of laughter. He didn't know why this was so funny. Maybe it was because Draco _never _said anything like that, even when they were alone. Or maybe it was because Hermione had been a bitch to him, and Ron was glad that someone else was seeing it, too.

"I don't remember…" Draco mumbled under his breath, turning away from the red head. Ron started to laugh again, almost choking on his spit as he did so. Draco flickered towards Ron, a full smile now on his face. Before Draco knew it, he was laughing along with Ron. Maybe not as hard, but he was laughing. And it felt good.

Draco turned at took a good look at Ron. The red head's face was flushed a light pink, his ears a bright red and clashing with his hair. Ron's mouth was pulled into a nice, loose smile, his teeth shining brightly as he bounced up and down slightly from his laughter. Tears were threatening to come from his eyes, the red head was laughing so hard. His voice was raspy and smooth and just completely Ron. Draco just couldn't describe it.

It was perfect.

_What? _Draco thought to himself, his smile faltering slightly. The only time he had thought something was perfect was when his dearly departed friend had played the guitar. And that was over a year ago. Before then, never. Besides, where had that thought _come from_? The more Draco tried to push aside that thought, the more it became true.

Ron really was perfect when he laughed.

Draco cleared his throat, immediately erasing his laughter. He felt awkward now that he had that thought. Ron's laughter quickly died down as well. The red head let out a large sigh, chuckling to himself as he leaned back in the chair.

"We should probably start." Draco said, not making eye contact with Ron. He kept a small smile on his lips so that Ron wouldn't think that anything was wrong. Ron looked around the room, seeing that most people were already a good ways into their potion. His eyes caught sight of Hermione and Harry. Hermione was glaring straight at Ron, her eyes narrowed into tiny slits. Harry nervously laughed at his best friend. Ron slowly looked away from them, turning back towards Draco. He wished that they were still laughing.

"Let's start."

---

"What were you laughing about in Potions?" Hermione's rude and nosey voice cut through Ron's thought's like an axe, because a knife was used way too much. He turned towards her, pouting slightly.

"What's wrong with laughing? You guys don't talk to me anymore." Ron flatly said. It wasn't what he wanted to say, but with all the confusion in his head, his mind chose those sentences. Hermione tightened her jaw. Harry stood beside the two of them, nervously laughing again.

"C'mon, you guys, stop fighting." Harry awkwardly said, closing his eyes tight as Hermione spun towards him, her hair whooshing around her and creating the element of rage. Ron was really glad he wasn't Harry right now.

"I'm not fighting with anyone, Hermione's just getting worked up over nothing." Ron spat at Hermione. The brunette looked back at her friend, angry tears threatening to fall.

"You were being a jerk!" Hermione screamed at him. Ron furrowed his eyebrows together and he swore to god a blood vessel popped somewhere in his head.

"I don't even remember why you're angry at me! Bloody hell, Hermione, get over it!" Ron yelled back at her. By now students were staying far away from the two arguing teens. Harry backed away and pressed himself to the wall. Hermione stood there, looking at Ron with wide eyes. Her mouth opened and closed several times, but no words came out. Ron just rolled his eyes, turned away from her, and stalked down the hallway. He could hear her begin to sob behind him and Harry trying to muster up the courage to comfort her. He honestly didn't care right now.

Outside, the snow began to fall softly.

---

Ron stumbled up the Grand Staircase, getting ready to make his small journey to that classroom. It was a relaxing, slow ride up there. Everyone else was still at dinner so the Grand Staircase was rather quiet. It felt nice. No one to bug Ron and get him super paranoid/over-emotional before a relaxing few hours with Draco.

_With Draco_. That thought sounded so weird to the red head. Laughing in the classroom, in front of everyone, had made Ron really happy. Ron had thought that Draco would never do that. Laugh in front of people, and appear happy and _real_. It was nice, and it made Ron really happy. He could tell that somewhere along the line things had become awkward. But Ron didn't care.

He had showed Hermione that he was happy without her.

Ron brushed away all thoughts of his friends as he stumbled off the Grand Staircase onto that floor. His feet echoed in the empty hallway. He slowly walked down the hallway, that classroom not too terribly far from the staircase. As Ron rounded the corner, he heard the familiar guitar sounds that were Draco. And all he could do was smile at it. Before Ron entered the classroom, he heard Draco start to sing, which was odd because Draco never sang unless Ron was there. At least, that he knew of.

"_It started with your hips,  
So I moved up to your lips.  
To take a chance,  
Ask for a dance.  
Cause you're the, cutest thing on this side of the world.  
We call our homes,  
Yet I feel so all alone.  
Half of the time,  
We gotta live with what we got,  
And I got nothing.  
So agree to take my hand,  
So we can conjure up with something rad._

If you, could, move on with your life,  
Just like you do.  
Just like you shoo be do do do.  
And you could make everything alright,  
And I want you too.  
Because ever since the first dance all I thought about,  
Was loving on you.

So I moved to the dance floor,  
With instincts and nothing more.  
I had ants in my pants,  
I did the boogie dance,  
And there was nothing to do but laugh.  
So I made another leap,  
Hoping to sweep you off your feet,  
I said,  
"Baby maybe we could bust this joint and see if my place is open to chill."

If you could, move on with your life, just like you do.  
Just like you shoo be do do do.  
And you could make everything alright, and I want you too.  
Because ever since the first dance all I thought about,  
Was loving on you."

It ended with a few notes, and then a small laugh from Draco. Ron chewed on the inside of his mouth as he took a step into the classroom. Draco heard the footstep and turned around. He smiled when he realized it was Ron.

"Yo."

"Hey." Ron replied. He quickly made his way over to the table that Draco was sitting at. They stared at each other for a moment before Draco went back to playing a little tune on his guitar.

"How was the rest of your day?" Draco suddenly asked. Ron rolled his eyes at himself and gave a heavy sigh.

"It was horrible. Hermione yelled at me and I made her cry." Ron flatly said. Draco stopped strumming his guitar and gave Ron a hard, 'whatthehelliswrongwithyou?' kind of look. Ron shrank back, giving a sheepish smile to the blonde.

"You did what?"

"She started yelling at me! And I couldn't take it anymore! For weeks she's been all mad at me, and I can't even remember why. But she expects me to remember, because for some reason it's a _huge _deal to her. When, really, she's just the one causing all the problems." Ron exclaimed, pointing vigorously at himself when his speech was done. Draco raised both of his eyebrows.

"Is that it?" Draco inquired. Ron blushed softly to himself and looked away.

"Happy Valentine's Day." The red head suddenly said, reaching into his coat pocket and pulling out a bundle of chocolate wrapped in clear plastic. A piece of swirly string kept it all together, ironically in green and silver. Ron tossed it at Draco, his face becoming even redder.

"What?"

"I wanted to give some to Harry and Hermione, but they're still mad at me. You're my only friend right now, so accept the bloody chocolate." Ron replied, tightening his jaw slightly. Draco looked back and forth between Ron's bright red face and the delicious pile of chocolate in his lap.

"Happy love day." Draco said back, reaching into his own pocket and taking out a large chunk of chocolate in the shape of a lion. The tin foil matched the bright colours of a lion perfectly. He threw it into Ron's lap as well. Before Ron could see his face, Draco bent it downwards and started to play his guitar again. Ron smiled, glad that he had a friend that was embarrassed – or so he thought – to give him chocolate on Valentine's Day. Or maybe it was just the fact that someone remembered him.

Outside, the snow fell gently.

LLLLLLLLLL

It's not how I wanted to end it, but it's getting close to 3000 words, and it's killing me. So here it is. Please tell me what you think. My birthday is tomorrow! **I'll be 16 hellz yeah! **So, please leave me a nice review for my birthday!


	19. Summer: REstart 51010

A/N: Wow, I actually never thought that I would update this story. I actually thought that it was done for. But, now I've found a way to make it work without deleting the whole story. I'm so sorry for the long wait everyone! I hope that everyone is still with this. On a lighter note, my writing skills have improved a LOT. Going back and skimming through some of these chapters made me want to cry slightly because they were so bad. This chapter may not be so good because I have to shift from high school drama (**A Million Reasons Why**) back to this emo filled wizard stuff. Oh jeez, this chapter won't be so good. Anyway, I hope that you all enjoy it besides that! Please leave a kind review and tell me what you think!

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Draco looked up at the sky from where he laid on the grass and sighed.

Summer was going to be starting soon. The weather at Hogwarts was already getting warm. The months from Valentine's Day had flown by so fast that it made Draco's head spin. Sometimes he's forget the day, and then he'd look at the calendar and almost have a heart attack. It was almost like it was impossible for that much time to go by without noticing a thing.

Draco had been spending a lot more time with Ron than he thought he would have been. It felt like they had been getting close. Or, rather, the red head was close to him. Draco never really shared much of his thoughts with Ron. Unless he thought they were really funny or profound, but that didn't happen too often. Sometimes the blonde would word vomit all over the place, but that was only when he was having a hard time in school. And that only happened every few weeks.

The blonde lay back against the grass, letting his body just flump over onto the ground. He relaxed into the grass and let the sun nearly blind him. It was going to be a lonely summer. Draco could feel it in his bones. Sure, he could mail Ron like he had during the pervious Winter Break. But he honestly wasn't sure how much he actually would. That just felt like, to him, an even more lonely way to spend summer. It would just remind Draco how many friends he doesn't have. And that's just too depressing.

It was currently lunch time, but Draco didn't really feel like eating. The closer and closer it was getting to summer, the more and more nervous he was getting. Draco would never say this out loud, but he was afraid of losing his new found friend over the summer break. The summer months are long, and Ron has his other friends to be with.

Draco sighed and rolled his eyes as the bell rang for lunch to be over. Next was Defense against the Dark Arts, and he wasn't really looking forward to it. Beating each other up with small spells in blistering heat did not sound like fun. He sat up anyway and gathered up his school bag.

Today did not look like it was going to be good.

Ron was bursting with happiness.

He could hardly contain it. School was going to be out soon, and he had the plan of the century. It felt like such a good plan to the red head he didn't even think about everything that could go wrong. All he cared about was the fact his mom said yes.

Ron had just returned from the Owlry. It was shortly after dinner had started, and he made it straight for the classroom. He knew that Draco would already be there in that stuffy room. Even with a little over a week left of school, it seemed like Draco wanted to practice more and more. Ron wasn't really sure why, but he didn't really care. He liked to spend time with the blonde and listen to him play.

He stepped off the grand stair case at the right floor and practically skipped down the hallway, his mother's letting clutched in his hand. With this, Ron didn't have to feel like some weird creepy person. Because, hey, they were supposed to hate each other. Not be sudden "BFF'S".

The red head pushed open the partly closed door to that classroom. A wall of hot air hit him, and he wanted to die slightly. He might leave a little early if it didn't get any better. Almost right away Ron saw the blonde sitting on one of the far tables near the window. It was open a little bit, just enough to let in a slight breeze. Draco glanced up as Ron walked into the room. He smiled slightly and nodded his head, continuing to play a random little tune. Ron couldn't hide the wide smile on his face.

"Hey." The red head said as he sat down on the table next to the blonde. He was smiling so wide it felt like his face was breaking in half. The letter in his hand crumbled slightly as he moved. Draco raised an eyebrow at his friend as he looked up from the guitar.

"What's up with you?" Draco slurred slightly. Ron tried to pull back his smile, but it just grew more.

"I got a surprise." Ron said the excitement showing in his voice. Draco looked back down at his guitar and continued to play.

"What is it?" Draco asked with little interest. Whatever it was, he was sure it wasn't as amazing as Ron was making it out to be. Ron leaned forward towards the blonde, a grin still on his face. Draco moved back a little bit. It was creeping him out.

"I got a letter from my mom."

"Is that all?"

Ron pouted slightly as he straightened his back. He crossed his arms, the hand with the letter in it sticking out at an awkward angle. Draco glanced at the letter.

"Read it." Ron forcefully said as he shoved the letter at his friend. Draco blinked a few times before grabbing the letter, carefully unfolding it. It read:

'_Dear Ron,_

_How are things going at school? I hope that you are still doing well with the last few weeks left. Please make sure Fred and George don't get into too much trouble. It is their last year, after all. I am assuming that Harry will be coming at some point during the summer, right? As will Hermione, I'm sure. If they are not planning on it, which I doubt, please tell me. I love you very much Ronnie-kins. Your father and I will pick you up at the Platform with the car. _

_Love Mom.'_

Draco shoved it back towards the red head. Was he showing this stupid letter to him just to gloat about how much fun he'd have with Boy Wonder all summer? It made Draco feel even more lonely, and angry.

"What's the point of this?" Draco asked in a low voice. The grin was back on Ron's face.

"Harry and Hermione aren't coming."

The blonde stopped in mid movement. His eyes slowly drifted to the still grinning face of Ron. Had he heard that right? Harry and Hermione weren't coming? Draco felt his brain fry for a second. How on earth could Ron be happy about that?

"What?"

"They're not coming until the very end of summer. Hermione's parents wanted to go travel Europe a little over the summer, and they said Hermione could bring a friend. And… you know, Harry's all famous and stuff and I'm just Ronald Weasly, so she wanted to take Harry to impress her parents or something. So…" Ron trailed. Draco raised an eyebrow at the red head. This wasn't really like him, but whatever. Draco learned to roll with shit sometimes.

"So what?"

"Wanna come over?"

Draco could have sworn that time stopped. Had Ron, Ronald Weasly, just ask Draco, Draco Malfoy, to spend the summer with him? The blonde was expecting Ron to start cracking up and scream "Gotcha!", but it never came.

"Are you serious?"

"Well, it has to be a yes because I already told my mom I had someone coming." Ron sheepishly replied as he scratched the back of his head. Draco felt his mouth fall open.

"I think the warm weather is getting to you." Draco mumbled as he softly blushed to himself. Ron looked confused.

"What?"

"Nothing. Do you really think your parents are going to let a _Malfoy _in the house?" He slowly asked, making sure it sunk into the others head. Ron looked up at the ceiling and appeared to be thinking for a moment.

"Well, you can always colour your hair and pretend to be someone else. But that would be a lot of work. Or you could seriously convince my parents that you're not a bad person and that you can be trusted, which would be a lot of work. So either way, it's going to be a lot of work. But do you really want to spend all summer sitting at your house, staring at the walls?" Ron said, looking back at his friend. Draco was staring past the red head, deep in thought.

He didn't have to think about it very much. Draco really didn't want to spend the summer at his own house. And he didn't like Crabbe and Goyle very much, so they were out of the question. He could easily say he was spending the summer at another friend's house, working on a summer project or some stupid crap. He'd come up with something good, Draco always did. The only part he was really worried about was Ron's parents. They were kind people, but Draco also knew how ruthless Molly Weasly could be. The Howler in their second year was proof enough.

But, then again, it was worth a shot.

If he could prove to _Molly Weasly _that he was a good person, Draco might not have to face the fate of working for his father as a Death Eater. That would be pretty awesome, in Draco's opinion. He wouldn't have to do terrible things, or kill people, or lie and cheat to not be killed himself. Yeah, he'd risk Molly's wrath for that.

"It's worth a shot." Draco said after a long moment. Ron smiled so wide the blonde was afraid his face would split in two. Ron started to fidget around a bit. Almost like the excitement of having his ex enemy over was just too great.

"Great! All we have to do is mail your mum. Then, once we get her yes, we'll just have to wait at the Platform until everyone leaves. You know, not to freak everyone out. Then, we'll find my mum and dad and-!"

"Wait, wait, wait. What about you siblings?" Draco interrupted. He couldn't believe he was going along with this crazy plan. Ron stared at Draco like he was crazy.

"Fred and George will be off doing their own thing and Ginny's going to be with Luna most of the summer. My other siblings don't live with us, so we'll probably never see them." Ron blandly replied. Draco stared off into space once again. It was like this plan was almost too perfect. The only thing messing it up was the fury of Molly.

"This… this is almost too perfect." Draco mumbled, letting his thoughts spill over for a second. Ron didn't seem hurt by this comment, like Draco thought that he might be. The red head just smiled more.

"Yeah, I know which is why it'll work. C'mon, let's get to work on that letter!" Ron exclaimed, reaching into his school bag and grabbing some paper. Draco moved off the table he was on and onto the one Ron was on. He couldn't let his friend write the letter for him. That'd be dumb. He smiled to himself as he watched Ron struggle to find a quill.

"Let's do this."

The Owlry was surprisingly quiet.

Draco and Ron had finished writing the letter right before dinner had ended. Ron said that he had to go to Study Hall, but that he would see Draco later. The blonde had simply nodded and decided to skip Study Hall. Getting the courage to mail this insane letter was more important.

So here he was, standing in the oddly quiet tower, letting neatly held in hand. Most of the owls were out, to Draco's surprise. He was mainly worried to send this letter because in it, he wasn't really asking his mother for permission. He was kind of _telling _he that this was what he was doing, regardless of what she wanted. Ron had told him how to politely ask to do this and promise to do whatever she wanted in return and blah blah blah. And Draco pretended to write everything his friend had said. In reality, Draco knew that it would just be better to tell his mother what's what. That's really the only way she knew how to deal with things.

He moved from the middle of the room over to where the few owls were perched, his guitar banging he back of his legs as he moved. Draco knew that there wouldn't be anyone out and about the halls at this time, so it was ok so blindly carry the guitar around. Besides, if a teacher stopped him he could just say it's for a project in Muggle Studies.

Draco carefully attached the letter onto one of the owls. It barely moved as he did so. Once it was securely fastened on, Draco gave it a little shove with his fingers to get going. It cooed at him and took off in a flash. The blonde watched it fly away for a minute before turning around and making his long way back to the dungeons. His clothes were getting to warm for him. After that, he'd go back to the classroom and wait for Ron.

He trekked down the flights of stairs, not even really aware of where he was going. It was times like this Draco's mind/thought process just took over completely. He liked times like this, though. He could actually _think._

Draco wasn't really sure how well this summer was going to go. He was almost positive that Ron's parents would ban him from even coming close to their car, let alone their home. He wasn't really sure how Ron came up with this plan, or even _why_ he was going along with it. It was too late now to turn back.

Along with that, Draco still didn't know why he felt so weird near the red head now. It felt like every time the blonde was near Ron, his stomach would knot together and it felt like he was going to literally puke butterflies. It was an awful feeling that Draco couldn't get enough of. He didn't understand it one bit, and he was worried that spending the summer with his friend might make it worse.

He'll just have to wait and see.

Platform 9 and ¾ was coming up, and Draco swore he could feel his stomach turning into mush.

He had got a letter back from his mother the other day. She had basically and politely told him that it was ok. Mainly because Draco had come up with some half-assed reason to not go home. He knew he'd have to go back when Harry and Hermione came to Ron's, but that wasn't until almost the end of summer. That gave Draco a little over three months to let go and be a kid. Oh, and convince some people he wasn't the spawn of evil. There was that, too.

Draco shifted in his seat as he felt the train start to slow down. He remembered what Ron had told him: _"Wait around and look like you're waiting for your parents or something. Then, once most everyone is gone, come and find me on the other side of the Wall. We'll be waiting there!" _

The train now came to a complete stop, and it was like a sound barrier broke. Almost in an instant Draco heard doors opening and people shouting. It made him not want to move even more. Draco chose to sit in the compartment for a few minutes more, making sure that the other students had a chance to find their parents first so they could leave sooner. He looked out the window on the wall next to him, resting his chin on a free hand, watching as people filled the Platform, left, and refilled it. Almost like a heart.

Once Draco realized the Platform was doing its fill-refill pattern much slower, he got up from his seat and made his way to the hallway. From there, he worked his way through the maze of the train to find a door to the outside world. His suitcases were already waiting for him by the time he got out the door. Draco glanced around the Platform, seeing now that there were only a few families left.

Draco grabbed his two over-sized bags and started to make his way to the Wall that Ron had told him to go. The red head described it a little bit, so it wasn't that hard to find. Draco had actually never used it before. Normally his family would aparate straight to and from the house. No matter, this would be a good experience for him.

It was almost like using Floo powder. There was a rush of everything, and then it came to a stop. Draco's head was spinning as the busy train station of London unfolded before him. He had to blink several times before his vision stopped flopping all over the place. Once his vision settled, Draco glanced around the station, looking for the familiar mop of red. He spotted it almost right away.

Ron had his back turned to Draco. It looked like he was arguing with his parents a little bit. Molly looked upset and Arthur couldn't help but glance around him. Draco smiled at that. Even though it looked like they came to the station often, Arthur still seemed intrigued by it. Draco was curious by it, too, but right now was not the time. Maybe sometime him and Ron would come back and explore.

Draco took a deep breath and started towards his friend and his parents. Molly immediately saw the blonde coming towards them and stopped talking. Ron saw this, turning around and seeing Draco right away. He smiled widely as Molly scowled slightly. Draco wasn't sure if he should smile back at Ron or turn around and run from his mother.

"Over here!" Ron called, even though Draco wasn't that far from them. The blonde took a leap of faith and strode over to them, letting his nerves show. If he showed Molly how nervous he was, maybe she wouldn't be as mean to him. That was a little chance, but it was one that Draco was going to hold onto.

"Hi…" Draco said in a small voice and a small wave. Molly went from giving him a dirty look to giving her own son an even worse look to the back of his head. Draco wasn't sure how Ron didn't feel it. It would have crushed the blonde, that look.

"Do you care to explain, Ronald?" Molly questioned in a threatening tone. Ron still didn't look at her and continued to smile at Draco. Draco shied away behind Ron.

"Mum, this is who's going to be spending the summer with us." Ron said with an excited voice, presenting the blonde to his mother. It was in this moment Ron turned around, moving next to Draco. He wasn't sure why, but Draco finally noticed just how much taller Ron was than him. It made him feel even smaller.

"I said _explain_, Ronald." Molly repeated with a harsher tone. Ron's smile faltered slightly. Draco knit his eyebrows together slightly and took a step forward. He wasn't about to let Ron get in trouble for all of this. Draco could have said no, but he didn't.

"He's just trying to be a good person, Mrs. Weasly. I don't have anywhere to go for the summer, and to be honest, I don't have many friends. Ron and I have become… good friends over the year. If you don't want me to come, I understand. I don't want to cause your family any discomfort." Draco calmly but sternly said. He meant every word that he said. Ron was trying to be a good person. And, to his surprise, Draco had become great friends with his worst enemy.

That was a mental shocker.

Molly leaned back on her feet, shifting her weight a little bit. Her angry expression had melted into something short of surprise. Draco braced himself for whatever punishment she had in store for the both of them. It was this moment Arthur chose to join the conversation.

"Draco, why do you want to be here?" He suddenly said. Molly gave him a sideways look, but didn't say anything. Draco looked straight at Arthur, a very tall man with spiky red hair sticking out at odd angles and clothes that looked like they were from Alice in Wonderland. It gave Draco a weird sort of comfort.

"I want to spend summer with my friend. And I want to prove to the both of you that I'm not like my parents." Draco slowly said. He knew that they'd know what he meant. Arthur leaned forward towards the blonde, making sure his face wasn't visible to Molly. He gave Draco a small wink before straightening back.

"I don't agree with Ron's choice, but I do believe we should give the poor boy a chance, Molly dear." Arthur said in a loud voice. Draco had to really fight back a smile. This felt like a scene from a book. Molly in her hand sewn, mismatched clothes, Arthur in his…well, mismatched clothes, Ron looking around like this was the most awkward thing in the world, and Draco just standing here. It just struck Draco as funny.

Molly's face now looked like stone. She didn't let any emotion cross it. It looked like she was thinking long and hard about what to do here. She glanced at her husband, then her son, and then let her gaze stop on Draco. It stayed like that for a minute, just the two of them staring at each other. Her face then collapsed in defeat, a giant sigh escaping her as she bent over slightly to let it out.

"Oh, alright."

"Yes! I love you mum, dad!" Ron exclaimed as he bounced up and down like a little girl. Draco could tell her was trying to hide the excitement throughout the entire conversation. Not that it was an exciting conversation. It was actually rather terrifying, in Draco's opinion. But he couldn't help but feel elated now.

"Thank you so much, Mrs. Weasly."

"I'm not through with you yet, boy." She quickly said in a harsh voice. Ron let his mouth fall open as Draco stared at her with wide eyes.

"But you just said-!"

"I know what I just said, Ron. Just because he's staying at the house doesn't mean we trust him. You have to _prove _yourself, Draco. Otherwise you will not be welcome back." Molly sternly said. Draco looked at her while she was talking. He then glanced at Arthur, who secretly looked happy, then to Ron, who didn't secretly look happy. He was letting it show. Draco then looked back to Molly and took a deep breath.

"I promise I'll do whatever it takes." Draco said in a small, but sure voice. Molly placed her hands on her hip, turning away so that neither of the boys could see her smile.

"Well, we must be going! The car's been waiting for a long time!" Arthur exclaimed, moving the boy's along in the direction of the car. Ron looked at Draco and Draco looked at Ron. They just smiled at each other.

Let's just say the ride back to the Burrow was awkward.

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Wow, I REALLY never thought that I would ever up load again in this ever. I really didn't. But here it is. I know it's going back a ways, but this is the only part that's new that's really going to stay the same as it did before. If that makes any sense. Anyway, thank you everyone who have continued to follow this story even through my long absence! I love you all! Please leave a review and let me know what you think. **This story is officially off hiatus!**


	20. Melt Like Lemon Drops

A/N: Once again, I should be doing homework. But I don't feel like it. I've been in a really weird mood about everything lately. I've been remembering things I don't want to and dealing with things I don't care for. Anyway, I digress. I'm working on two other fan fictions at the moment, so I apologize in advance if this seems all over the place. I hope that everyone enjoys it! Thank you all for reviewing last time! Please tell me what you think!

I would also like to dedicate this chapter to **Mr Jakey Fakey. **His kind reviews gave me the motivation to post this chapter! Thank you so much for your kind words!

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Draco had never felt more out of place and right at home it his life.

The car ride back to Ron's had been just as awkward as he imagined it, maybe even more so. Not _one_word was said between Molly and Arthur. Arthur just drove, quietly humming to himself and slightly dancing a little. Molly stared right out the window, not even blinking. Ron, on the other hand, wouldn't stop talking. The _entire_time, it felt like, the red head never shut his mouth. He just went on and one about nothing. Every once in a while he'd ask his parents something, but neither one of them would respond. Ron would just shrug and continue. Was he really that excited to have Draco over? It made the blonde feel a little awkward.

The one thing he hadn't anticipated was the car flying. But, then again, why would he be surprised? He's a _wizard_ for god's sake.

It literally felt like forever until they got to the Burrow. Draco, or Ron for that matter, had never seen Molly move that fast. It was like she was trying to get out of a really uncomfortable situation, which she was. Draco, Ron, and Arthur were left in the dust of the driveway to carry the over stuffed luggage inside. Draco gave Ron a sideways look and the red head just sheepishly grinned back. Arthur sighed as he closed the car door. Even he could tell it was going to be a long day.

"Is your mom going to be ok?" Draco nervously asked as they walked down the path towards the door at the side of the house. Ron glanced at his friend before pushing the door open with his foot.

"Yeah, she'll be fine. She just has to hear you play and everything will be fine!" Ron exclaimed with determination. Draco bit back a smile. It seemed absurd, how focused and childish Ron was being. Not the bad kind of childish. The childish manor that kids have where they think everyone can be happy together as long as there's enough candy to go around. Yeah, that kind of thing. It made Draco want to just fall over and laugh.

The blonde stepped through the door and was greeted by the smell of cooking food and movement. Even though nothing was really going on, it felt like the house just moved on its own. Draco looked around himself and saw that they were in the kitchen. Even though they had just gotten there not even ten minutes ago, Molly was already cooking what appeared to be a large meal for everyone. With Ginny, Fred, George, and all the other siblings gone for a while, Draco wasn't sure why the meal was so big. He let those thoughts leave his mind as Ron motioned for them to continue along in the house. Draco nodded as he quickly followed.

The living room… it was actually quite small compared to the rest of the house. Draco assumed that they must not spend much time in here since it was still and quiet, unlike the kitchen. Off to the side of the room, near where the kitchen and the living room connected, was a rather large grandfather clock. Draco stopped in his tracks for a second, staring at his with wide eyes. It took him a second to realize that it didn't tell time.

Instead, as you all know, it had the faces of every family member on it. Home, away, school, store, various places like that were listed on the clock. Draco didn't fail to notice that Harry's name/face had been added on to it. It spiked his anger a little bit, but the blonde wasn't really sure why. Maybe he just hated the stupid Boy Who Lived that much. He turned away from the clock and quickly caught up with Ron and his dad.

"Sorry we can't take the stairs in the kitchen. I want my mum to cool off a little bit." Ron mumbled. Arthur nodded his head in agreement. Draco blinked several times. There were stairs in the kitchen? He hadn't even noticed. Ron started to trudge up the stairs, leaving his suitcase behind at the bottom. Draco gently set his down and followed Ron up the treacherous path. The steps creaked and groaned under the blonde's feet. It made him nervous.

It felt like they climbed even higher than they did for the classroom. Maybe it was just because the steps were much steeper than they were at school. This would explain how Ron is able to move around so fast. Draco, on the other hand, felt as if he was being punched several times in the gut. It was hard to breathe. Draco took this as a sign to be more active.

Finally, Ron stopped at one of the many doors along the hall. He glanced at Draco and blushed slightly, rubbing the back of his head.

"Sorry, it probably looks awful. I don't really have anyone in here except for Harry and siblings, you know." Ron bashfully said as he looked away from the blonde. Draco raised an eyebrow at him, a confused look on his face.

"Why would what I think matter?"

"C-c'mon! We have lots of convincing of parents to do!" Ron loudly said as he shoved his bed room door open. He practically fell into it. Draco slowly followed right behind his friend.

The first ting he noticed about the room was the smell. It smelled… old and dusty. Like when you open a drawer at your house where things have just been sitting there for a while. Or old clothes you forgot you had. This old, comforting smell that always made Draco feel so relaxed. The second thing he noticed was how _clean _it was for Ron. Of course, it was slightly messy, just like any other teenager. But, for what Draco expected from Ron, it wasn't half bad. Clothes were thrown about and his bed was unmade, but that was really about it. The room looked like it was about to fall apart, just like the staircase. Draco noticed two doors shoved off to the far side of the room. He looked at Ron, expecting an explanation.

"Told you it was awful…" Ron mumbled as he shifted about towards the back doors. Draco smiled a little, looking away from his friend.

"I think it's fine. What're those doors for?" Draco said, pointing at the doors. Ron looked behind himself, and then back at Draco with a smile.

"Oh, the one on the far left is the closet. But, this one here is something special." Ron happily replied, He reached towards the doorknob, quickly turning it and flying it open. Draco had moved over behind the red head, peering over his shoulder.

"A… bathroom?"

"Yeah! It was either a bigger room with no bathroom or a small room with one. I think it's great, really." Ron said back with such a happy smile it almost made Draco melt. He pushed back that melting feeling as he peered around the red head, his eyes wandering all over the small room.

Now, when Draco said small, he meant pretty _small_. There was a toilet on the other side of the room, the sink crammed in right next to it. A shower-bath tub mix faced the opposite wall of the toilet. Right next to the shower was a crooked window. _Crooked_. It looked as if it was meant to be a picture frame, but no matter how you hung it, it always leaned to one side or the other. Draco was now thoroughly confused as he turned back to Ron. In the short moment, he realized just how close the two were. He took a step back as he felt his heart thump.

_Not now._

"What's with the window?"

"My mum liked it." Ron replied with another smile. Draco moved farther away, just slightly, since the smile was making him uncomfortable.

"Oh."

"I should go check on her, by the way. See if she's calmed down, you know. Be back!" Ron exclaimed, waving slightly. And just like that, he left the room. Draco blinked several times before his mind fully processed what had just happened.

Or, what was happening.

_Oh shit._

Draco felt as if he was going to fall over. He took the short distance to Ron's bed and sat down on it. For how raggedy it looked, it was actually quite comfortable. And relaxing. And soothing. Draco didn't let those thoughts linger for his current mind frame was in a panic.

"Ok, ok, calm down Draco. What's the worst thing that can happen?" The blonde said to himself. It was that phrase and his panic state of mind that made him feel a little crazy. But it was ok, because he was alone.

_Ok, face one: I'm friends with Ron Weasly. Friends or something like that. Fact two, he makes me feel weird and some other stuff I'd rather not think about right now. And that's the part confusing me the most because I don't feel like I should feel this way. Fact three: I lied to my parents and came to the enemy's humble abode and I'm staying here. Fuck, I'm going to be killed. _

Draco took in a deep breath, trying to calm himself down a least a little. It all didn't feel real once it all hit him. It just seemed stupid and wild and crazy and oh my god maybe he will be killed.

The blonde suddenly stood up from the bed in one swift, fast motion. He felt like he was going to explode if he didn't play his guitar, even for a little bit. Draco left the room in a flash. Even though he didn't really know where he was going, how hard could it be to find Ron's room if the door was open? Really, it's just a staircase going straight up. The blonde quietly went down the staircase, making sure to step around the creaks the best to his ability. Before he knew it, Draco saw his luggage at the bottom of the stairs. His guitar case was neatly placed beside it. Odd… he didn't remember bringing it in.

He grabbed it in a flash and quickly dashed back up that stairs. The guitar banged against the walls and the steps, and he was sure at least _someone _had to hear it, but Draco didn't really care. Playing the guitar at this moment was his only way to calm his brain down and maybe even survive the ordeal. Draco couldn't even make it all the way back up to Ron's room, the case was too heavy. So he just set it down on the next landing, sitting down and breathing real hard.

It was one of those rare times where Draco wasn't fully aware of what he was doing. Like a drug-induced state. He un-clicked the case and flung it open. The guitar looked dirty and grimy under the light (more so than it usually did). The blonde pulled it from the case and rested it on his lap. It felt heavier than it normally did. Draco took a deep breath.

He started out with a small tune. It was soft and relaxing and it made him feel happy inside. He continued to hum a little tune along with it.

"_Somewhere over the rainbow__  
__Way up high,__  
__There's a land that I heard of__  
__Once in a lullaby.___

_Somewhere over the rainbow__  
__Skies are blue,__  
__And the dreams that you dare to dream__  
__Really do come true.___

_Someday I'll wish upon a star__  
__And wake up where the clouds are far__  
__Behind me.__  
__Where troubles melt like lemon drops__  
__Away above the chimney tops__  
__That's where you'll find me.___

_Somewhere over the rainbow__  
__Bluebirds fly.__  
__Birds fly over the rainbow.__  
__Why then, oh why can't I?___

_If happy little bluebirds fly__  
__Beyond the rainbow__  
__Why, oh why can't I?"_

Draco let the last little note fade. He smiled to himself, his mind now completely clear. The song didn't really fit his mood, and it didn't really have anything to do with anything at the moment, but it was the first song he taught _himself _to play, so it meant something. Or something like that. Draco looked up from the guitar and was met by the eyes of Ron. He let out a little yelp and had to keep himself from falling backwards. Ron gave him a small smile.

"That sounded nice." The red head slowly said. It was all that he could say. Draco just played too beautifully for Ron, even though he'd heard him hundreds of times before. It still sounded just as wonderful every time he heard his friend play. Draco nervously smiled at Ron, moving to put his guitar away.

"You don't have to hide it, my dad loves Muggle stuff." Ron loudly said. Draco stopped in mid movement, slightly afraid to move. Ron moved back a little, almost falling down the stairs if it wasn't for him grabbing the railing, scratching the back of his head and sheepishly grinning.

"Really?" Draco said in a small voice, even though he already knew this. His father used to make fun of Arthur all the time for the hobby. Ron nodded his head.

"Yeah, I'm sure he'd love it if you played for him sometime." Ron quickly said. Draco felt his face tense slightly and he tried to make it relax. Playing for Ron was one thing, but for a crowd of people? Draco wasn't sure if he was ready for that. But, now that he thought about it, he _was _trying to impress them. Draco looked at the floor, thinking for a moment before speaking.

"I'll write a song for them."

"What?"

"I'll write a song for them and play it for the both of them. Maybe then they'll be a little bit more accepting of me." Draco quickly said in a small voice. It felt like he was being crushed a little bit. When the blonde looked back up at his friend, there was a real sad look on Ron's face. His eyebrows where all turned up and his mouth was parted in a small upside-down "u". His cheeks were a slight shade of pink. Draco moved to stand up, but before he could Ron started to talk.

"Draco, my dad already likes you."

"Ron, you're dad is too nice to kill a fly. He's just being polite. And even if he does like me, I want to still show him that I can be trustworthy." Draco skeptically said as he gently placed the guitar back into the case. He grabbed it by the handle, carrying it with him as he stood up. Ron's eyes were still following his friend with that sad look.

"Draco-"

"C'mon, this can't sit on the staircase all summer, you know." Draco called down at his friend with a playful smile. Ron rolled his eyes, the sad look leaving him almost immediately as he followed his friend.

What else could they do?

LLLLLLLLLL

Oh my god, that took too long. I'm so sorry for how crappy this was. I was not in the right of mind when writing most of this. I have been having a lot of mental breakdowns lately, and this is what I did while having those. It's also been stressful with finals and the end of school coming up on me. Anyway, I still hope that everyone enjoyed it! Please let me know what you think!


	21. Know It All

A/N: Hello everyone! I apologize that this is so late! I've wanted to update for a long time, but so much has been going on lately that it had to be put off to the side. I apologize for that! Thank you everyone that has left a review so far! It means so much, and I'm sorry for not being able to respond to all of them. Anyway, please enjoy this chapter and let me know what you think!

LLLLLLLLLL

Ron felt the light hit his eyes before he was even fully awake. He hated that feeling, where you're not totally awake but your mind forces you to. Ron forced his eyes open, the glare from his window blinding him for a minute. After recovering from that, Ron rolled himself over onto his side and clear off the side of his bed. It made the red head feel like a ninja, rolling off his bed like that.

The first thing he noticed was how cold the house was with no socks. The second was that Draco wasn't there.

Ron blinked several times as he looked around his room. Sure enough, the blonde really wasn't there. All of the blankets that had been sprawled out on the floor the previous night were still there, which told Ron that everything really hadn't been a dream. It also reminded him to ask his dad to get the spare bed up here later today. He glanced at the Muggle clock that his father had given him a while back, reading ten after nine. It was an ungodly hour to be up, especially for Ron, but he had to find Draco. What if he had gotten lost in the house?

The red head groaned and rubbed at his face as he left his room and stumbled down the stairs. It was much too early to be awake during the summer. No one should even be allowed to exist before ten, in Ron's opinion. But, once awake, Ron found it hard to fall back asleep. He figured that most people were like this. Ron almost fell down the last few steps of stairs; he was so lost in thought. Shaking off the initial shock, Ron glanced in the direction of the kitchen. He noticed that there was a light on and the familiar breakfast smells were drifting towards him.

"Mom?" Ron called out, furrowing his eyebrows together. Normally his mother wouldn't even start breakfast until closer to ten. So what was she doing up now? Ron quickly walked through the living room type area and towards the kitchen door. The smell just got better and better.

When Ron walked through the door, he wasn't fully prepared to find Draco standing at the old Muggle stove, cooking some sort of food, _without _magic. The blondes back was facing Ron, and all Ron could do was stare. This was… weird. Draco had even changed out of his pajamas. He was wearing some old looking clothes, like someone had owned them before him. The faded blue shirt looked much better on Draco than Ron would have thought.

"Is there anything you're _not _good at?" Ron said, leaning against the door frame and crossing his arms over his chest. Draco spun around, this real panicked look in his eye. After he realized it was just Ron, his eyes relaxed, but his body was still tense. He let out a small laugh as he turned away from the red head and continued to cook.

"Just because I can cook doesn't mean it's good." Draco quietly replied. Ron rolled his eyes as he walked over to the island in the middle of the room. He leaned forward on it and tilted his head to the side slightly.

"What're you doing, cooking in _my _kitchen, when you're the guest?" Ron questioned. Draco glanced behind his shoulder at Ron before grabbing a round plate next to the right of him.

"Well, this is a good start to get your parents to trust and/or like me. It took me a while to find everything, but I've only been up since seven, so I think I've gotten a lot done for that short amount of time." Draco quickly replied, just like it was nothing. Ron felt his mouth fall open.

"You've been up since seven?" Ron exclaimed. Draco turned around with his plate of something – it looked like eggs to Ron – and gave his friend a confused look before setting the plate down on the other counter.

"Yeah? It takes time to do stuff without magic." Draco replied before grabbing the cooking pan and setting it in the sink, running some water in it. Ron stared at him as he did this, not really understanding what was going on.

"Are you done or something?" Ron questioned, feeling like an idiot. He'd only ever seen his mom cook with magic, never without it. Draco went back over to the stove and the counter space next to it and continued to fix up the food on the pans.

"No, but almost. Whenever you're done you put water on the pans so they don't cake over with grease. Duh?" Draco replied in a matter-of-fact sounding voice. Ron furrowed his eyebrows slightly as he glanced over at what Draco was doing with the food. The blonde was scrapping it all onto separate plates.

"I'm sorry I've never cooked without magic…" Ron mumbled under his breath. Draco laughed a little bit before placing the plates down on the counter in front of Ron. The red head eyed them, for the looked delicious to him.

"You're welcome to have some, if you want to." The blonde said as he leaned against the counter, facing Ron. He had this smug smile that made Ron a little mad, but the food looked so good he ignored it. Draco reached into a drawer under him and pulled out a fork, resting it beside Ron. Ron eyed it before picking it up and digging into the eggs. He chewed a little bit, stopping and looking Draco right in the eye.

"What?"

"You _are _good at cooking! My parents really have to hate you if they don't like this." Ron said between mouthfuls of food, which he knew wasn't very attractive, but whatever. The food was good, so he didn't care.

"Well… I'm glad you like it." Draco quietly replied, scratching the back of his head. A small blush had crawled onto his face, but he turned around and pretended to tend to the dishes before Ron could see it. It meant a lot that Ron liked it, probably just as much as him liking his music.

"Of course I like it! I bet you cook all the time, yeah?" Ron said before shoveling another forkful of food into his mouth. Draco turned back to his friend, a sheepish grin on his face.

"No, actually. I've never cook for anyone before." Draco mumbled with a laugh. The red head stopped eating, his eyes slightly wide. Then, in an instant, he was back to eating the food again.

"Why are you so damn amazing at everything without even trying?" Ron said after a loud swallow. Draco felt his face get hot again.

"I don't-"

"What on earth are you doing up?"

Both of the teens looked up and over towards the kitchen door. There was Draco's worst fear, Molly Wesley. She was wearing some old looking clothes, just like Draco, probably for cooking. Ron smiled at his mom; Draco wanted to cower in fear but held his ground. Molly pulled her hair back behind her, but let it fall as she looked around the kitchen,

"Did you boys make _breakfast_?" She questioned in a stunned voice. Ron turned back towards Draco and gave him a look that said 'you say something or I will and it won't end well'. Draco looked everywhere but at Molly.

"Uh, well, I did, Mrs. Weasly. I made it… I'm sorry for the mess! Let me clean it up!" Draco suddenly exclaimed, moving back over to the sink and starting the water. He heard Ron let out a little laugh behind him.

"Mum, just try it! It's really good!" Ron shouted over the running water. Once he said that, Molly moved over to the boys, but walked past the food. She walked over to the other side of the island, towards Draco. She grabbed the sink handle and turned off the water. He looked at her, now scared because she was so close to him. Molly smiled at the blonde, but it wasn't very comforting because he knew she didn't like him.

"This can wait a little." She said before turning around and glancing around at the food. Before both of the boys had anytime to say anything, Molly scooped up a few of the plates in her arms and carried them across the room to the giant dinning room table. Ron smiled at his mother and moved over to help her, while Draco was scared stiff on the spot.

"Mum, you have to try it!" Ron exclaimed. Draco was snapped out of his fear and moved to the other side of the counter. He was compelled to stop her, just because he was afraid of her. But he also wanted Molly to try it and like him. Draco let out a long breath of air and tried to relax. Since when was being liked to important to him?

"Alright, alright." Molly mumbled as she sat down at the table. She grabbed a plate of what looked like bacon, carefully picking up a piece in between her fingers. She eyes it for a second before taking a small bite of it. Her eyes lit up as she placed the rest of it in her mouth before grabbing another piece.

"Isn't it good?" Ron exclaimed in her ear. Draco cringed slightly at that.

"Draco, dear, this is amazing! Why didn't you tell me you could cook?" Molly said, ignoring her own son as she turned towards the blonde. Draco sheepishly smiled and looked away from her.

"Uh, I don't really know how, I just-"

"Oh, rubbish. You must show me what you did sometime. And _without magic_." Molly said in a whispery voice before continuing to eat. She happily hummed to herself as she turned back to Ron.

"I told you it was good."

"Ronnie, please be a dear and go wake your father. He'll really enjoy this!" Molly exclaimed and shooed her son away. Ron grumbled, saying something about walking all the way back upstairs, but turned and left through the kitchen door anyway. Now it was just Molly, Draco, and a giant arrangement of food.

How awkward.

Draco shifted his weight a little, not even taking the risk to look up from the floor. This was possibly his worst dream come true since he got here – being alone with Molly Weasly. Oh dear lord, it felt like his heart was going to explode. He coughed slightly, feeling the weight of this situation on his shoulders. When he looked up, he saw Molly staring at him with this real intense look in her eyes. Draco tried to look away from her, but it was like a train crash: _you just have to look_.

"Um, Mrs. Weasly-"

"First, my name is Molly." Molly quickly said with a smile. Draco didn't feel like she meant it to be nice, but he tried to smile back at her anyway. It probably looked more like a grimace, depending on her face now.

"Uh, alright, M-Molly." Draco nervously said. She nodded her head at him.

"Come, sit down with me." Molly gestured to the seat across from her. Draco stiffly moved from his spot by the counter to the chair, trying to sit down as quietly as he could. God was this situation racking his nerves. Where the hell was Ron?

The two wizards just stared at each other. Draco was trying his best to not look at her, but this proved difficult due to the fact that he was terrified out of his mind. Molly sat across from the poor boy, her hands folded together and held under her chin. Draco thought that it made her look like she was planning something.

"Um, what-?"

"Draco, please be a dear and let me do the talking."

Draco shut his mouth. Even though Molly had said that, she didn't say another word. The blonde sat there, trying now to keep his eyes on Molly instead of the floor. It was becoming harder with every passing second Molly didn't talk. Eventually, she let out a big sigh and unfolded her hands, eyeing Draco carefully again.

"Ron likes you."

"What?" Draco felt like an idiot now. He blinked several times as Molly tried to hold back a chuckle or two.

"Ron must consider you a great friend now, and I have no idea what you did to make him think that. You hated him, and tormented him for five years of schooling. Whatever you did, it must have been amazing, Draco dear." Molly said. As she said it, her voice became more and more serious. Draco now felt like a little kid being punished for something that wasn't his fault. But, instead of being angry, he was embarrassed.

"May I talk?" Draco suddenly said. He'd never asked for permission to talk, he's never had to. Molly gave him a tiny look but before Draco could register what it meant, she spoke.

"Yes, you may." Molly quickly said. The blonde took in a deep breath of air, trying to calm his heart down a little bit. It wasn't working very well, but he knew that he had to convince Molly one way or another that he was a good guy.

_But why do I have to? _Draco thought. He pushed it aside with the rest of his confusing thoughts and tried to focus. It wasn't working too well. He breathed again.

"It's… long, but probably not too terribly difficult to explain. It's just something that kind of happened. Your son… Ron, he's a good person. And I know I'm an idiot for acting like I did for so long. I want to try and make things better, I really do." Draco softly said. He had to stop himself before he let his ignored thoughts come pouring out. It was odd, to feel like he could talk and someone would listen, someone other than Ron. Molly nodded her head as he spoke. When he was done, she leaned forward a little bit. Her hands were now folded in front of her on the table. For some reason, this made Draco nervous.

"So… you're telling me that you and Ron are friends now? What makes you think that we're going to accept you right off the bat?" Molly quietly said, a nervous chuckle finishing her sentence. This made Draco angry. He tried to stifle it down, since this was the woman he wanted to impress and be friends with, but frankly that laugh killed his nerves and just replaced them with anger. The blonde tried to keep his face calm, but then anger was spilling over so it might have been hard.

"Yes, we are friends. Ron actually is a very kind person, and people give him way too much crap for the small things that he does. I think that he's a wonderful person and he's been there even though we used to fight a lot. He's been there, even after the fact. That, in itself, makes him a remarkable person. He's kind, and _smart_. It may not be school smart, but it's a different kind of smart. And he made me laugh. Mrs. Weasly, he made _me _laugh! I don't even remember the last time I did before being friends with Ron. It must have been years or-!"

Draco stopped himself short. It was a split second, really. All he did was glance up at the kitchen door and had to stop. His voice was caught right in his throat and the blondes face must have flushed bright red. That or he was really pale right now. He couldn't tear his eyes away, even though Draco really wanted to.

Ron was standing right there.

It must have been no longer than a second, but Draco regained some of his dignity. He cleared his throat and tried to keep his eyes off of his friend. He glanced back at Molly. She just stared at him with this expecting look, like she was waiting for him to rave more about her son. Draco coughed slightly and shifted his weight. It was now very hard to _not _look at Ron.

"I… I want to be accepted here. I really do. You're family is so kind to let me stay here, you're so kind, and I hope that I can prove myself. I will prove myself." Draco added as an after thought. He wasn't planning on leaving until he was accepted by Molly Weasly. Even if that meant being in the crossfire of Harry and Ron. It was worth it to Draco, at the very least. Molly moved to speak, but it was right then Ron decided it was a good time to come in.

"Dad said he'll be down in a bit!" Ron said a little bit too loud, stomping his way into the kitchen. Draco raised an eyebrow and gave a look of great concern. Molly just tried to hold back a chuckle. Her son was just so ridiculous sometimes.

"Thank you, Ronnie dear. Now go wash up, both of you, and we'll all enjoy breakfast together!" Molly exclaimed as she stood up from the kitchen table. Ron groaned and mumbled something about _just _coming from that direction. Draco stiffly nodded his head at Molly as she moved around the table to grab more plates from a random cupboard near the sink. Draco shakily stood up, not really wanting to be alone with Ron right now. That was just slightly embarrassing.

Before leaving, the blonde glanced back at Molly. She had this small smirk on her face and a slight twinkle in her eye that made Draco nervous. She just stood there with her arms crossed on her chest, staring at Draco as Ron left the room. Draco decided to turn and go wash up before getting angry again.

That knowing look she gave Draco irked him for some reason.

LLLLLLLLLL

There we go! I'm so sorry that this took so long; I was awfully busy while writing this. I hope that it is ok. A lot has happened while writing this chapter, so I think the writing style may be a little different. Anyway, I apologize again! Please, let me know what you think! Another chapter will be on it's way soon!


	22. Fire With Doves

A/N: I'm so incredibly sorry that this has taken this long to write. A lot has been going on in my life over the past few months, and I hope that this chapter makes up for all of the delay. Thank you everyone that has kept reading this and for all the kind reviews that I've gotten! It means a lot! The song used is **Harmony by Christofer Drew. **Please read and tell me what you think!

LLLLLLLLLL

It must be the heat getting to Draco. He couldn't think of any other explanation.

He was currently in Ron's bathroom, looking at himself in the mirror. Draco's hair was a bit oily, but not bad enough to look terrible. It wasn't slicked back like it had been all those years ago. No, it just stood out at odd angles like Ron's or Harry's. His face was pale and flushed at the same time. The blonde wasn't sure how to explain it, he just looked sick. Draco tore his gaze away from himself and stared at the floor. Yes he really must be crazy to _want _to play in front of other people.

Ok, let's rewind a bit.

000

It had been a little bit over a week since Draco had made that breakfast. Not much more interaction had gone on between him and Molly or Arthur. Arthur would make small talk with Draco at the dinner table, but the blonde could tell it was strained and forced. But still, he silently thanked the kind older man for making an effort. Other than that, Draco hadn't really been doing anything besides helping Ron with his chores and helping Molly with dinner every now and then.

It had been eerily quiet. At least, it seemed like that to Draco.

Then, one day, as most stories go, Arthur brought home an assortment of Muggle items from the Ministry. Ron was excited, since most of them were items that he'd never seen before. Draco recognized a few. An assortment of jewelry, some sun glasses, a few books that looked somewhat interesting. And then Draco saw it. Something that he so long ago wanted to obtain, but never could. Now, he had the perfect chance.

A harmonica.

"Mr. Weasley, may I have this?" Draco politely asked and he picked it up, handling like it would break any second. Arthur looked up from the table, eyeing what was in the blonde's hand for a moment. He flashed a wide, warm smile before speaking.

"Yes, of course Draco. Do you know how to play?" Arthur kindly replied. Draco looked at the floor and had to think for a moment.

"No, well yes, but no. It's kind of complicated. Thank you so much for letting me have this." Draco quickly said. He tried to give a warm smile back to the kind man, but it probably didn't come out right. Arthur didn't seem to notice because he just looked away from Draco and over to Ron.

"Ron, you see anything?"

"Not today, dad. Maybe Ginny'll like some of the jewelry, though. C'mon, Draco, let's go get dressed to throw some gnomes." Ron casually said. Draco, who was so fixated on the harmonica, did a double take at his friend as they moved out of the dining area and towards the stairs, waving Arthur a goodbye and thank you.

"I'm sorry, what are we doing?" Draco quietly asked as they climbed the stairs. Ron glanced at him and flashed a grin. Draco felt his face flush, but he ignored it.

"Throwing gnomes? I do it a few times a month; they clutter in our garden and become a burden." Ron replied as if it was totally normal. Draco cradled the harmonica in his hands. They finally reached the red head's room as Ron turned and gave Draco the weirdest look he'll probably ever receive in his life.

"Why'd you take that weird thing?" Ron curiously asked. He wasn't trying to sound mean or anything, but it kind of came off that way. The blonde shuffled his feet against the floor, looking at everything but Ron. It was a hard subject for him to talk about, he didn't even like thinking about it. Draco looked at his hand and started to pick at his fingers.

"I have a song to play for your parents."

"Really? That's great! But why do you need a harmonica? I don't remember you talking about a song with one." Ron said in an excited voice. Draco took a slight step back away from his friend, now just staring at the floor.

"I haven't because it's a special song. I didn't write it, I just want to add in the harmonica." Draco sheepishly replied. Ron seemed to get that at that point Draco didn't really want to talk about it. He gave his friend a wide smile, even though he wasn't looking.

"Well, we should get ready." Ron said a little too loudly. Draco looked up just as he saw his friend wander off into the bathroom to change his clothes.

000

"Remind me to never do that again." Draco said as he threw himself on his makeshift bed next to Ron's bed. The red head let out a nervous laugh as he sat up on his bed, scratching the back of his head.

Throwing gnomes had not gone according to plan. Draco never wanted to do it again. One punched him in the shin, another jumped on his back, and another bit his hand. All at the _same time_. It was most likely the worst experience that Draco had ever had with the wizarding world. He was for sure to be covered in bruises now. The blonde rolled over on his side, grabbing the guitar from beside him. He laid it across him stomach; now back to lying on his back. Draco played around and tuned it for a minute before playing some random tunes. Or at least to Ron, they seemed random. It was a few moments of them just relaxing and enjoying each other's company.

"So…" Ron started, but wasn't really sure where to go from there. Draco gave him a sideways glance, but didn't say anything. He continued to play for a few minutes. Ron soon realized that he actually was playing a real tune or just the same thing over and over again. It was now awkwardly quiet, at least for Ron it was. Ron hates it when he starts to talk, but then can't think of anything to say. It's the worst situation to be in. Draco let out a small laugh as stopped playing for a second.

"Jeez, Ron, you seem so nervous." Draco laughed again. Ron made a pouty face as he sat up in his bed, giving a half-hearted glare towards his friend.

"Well, yeah, I hate being awkwardly quiet." Ron shot back. Draco let out another laugh and kept playing his guitar a little bit.

"Nothing's awkward, we're just sitting here." The blonde replied. This was kind of the truth. They _were _just sitting there. Ron looked away from his friend, the muscles in his back relaxing a little bit. He fixed his gaze on a spot on the ceiling, letting the notes wash over him. After a few moments, it started to become hypnotizing the red head. Ron was sure he would have fallen asleep if Draco hadn't started to talk.

"This song is special and I've only played it for one person." The blonde quietly said. Ron barely heard it, let alone understood what the hell his friend was talking about. Then he remembered that Draco had picked up that harmonica and said that he wanted to play a song for his parents. Ron sat up on his elbow and looked down at Draco. He raised an eyebrow as the blonde glanced at him.

"Only for one person?"

"Yeah, well, he played it a few times and then one time he let me play with him. But that's beside the point. It's special because so few people have heard it and it changes how you see the world." Draco softly replied. Ron was thoroughly interested now. He rolled over on his side to get a better look at the blonde.

"Change how you see the world? Is there a song like that?" Ron questioned. Draco looked back up at his friend, dead in the eye. It gave Ron the chills for a second.

"The first song you ever heard me play changed you." Draco replied. It almost sounded flat, but Ron heard a little bit of an emotion he didn't quite recognize in there. He pushed it aside.

"True. I hope I can meet this person. They have to be incredible to write a song like that." Ron said in a dreamy voice. The second those words left his mouth, Ron regretted it. The air became stiff and awkward. The red head looked down at his friend. Draco looked distraught and worn. His face was etched with some sort of sadness that Ron had only seen in one person before: Harry.

"You'll never meet him, he's dead."

The air instantly became thick and heavy. Ron couldn't even bare to look at his friend now. He kept his eyes glued to the ceiling, not even blinking once. The red head thought it was awkward with harry after Cedric died, but this was beyond uncomfortable.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize. He died at the worst time ever, but he made a difference in so many lives. That's why I don't talk about my guitar; Vincent gave it to me right before he died winter of our fourth year." Draco stiffly said. Even though this situation was very uncomfortable, Ron could sense an odd calmness in Draco's voice. He chanced a look back at his friend; his expression hadn't even changed.

"When do you want to play the song?" Ron cautiously asked, trying to relieve the tight tension in the room. Draco locked eyes with his red haired friend and smiled slightly. Ron wasn't sure if this was a good thing or not.

000

And this how Draco became a mess.

He stayed up all night, practicing the song in the living room at night when everyone had gone to bed. It was almost perfect. Almost. Draco had no fucking clue how to play the harmonica; he hadn't really thought that out. Almost no sleep, no shower, barely even brushing his hair, Draco was preparing to go and play that damn song for Ron's parents'. The anticipation was killing him.

Taking in a deep breath of air, Draco turned away from the mirror, turning off the light to the bathroom and stalking into Ron's bedroom. The red head had gone downstairs to keep Molly and Arthur busy while Draco prepared himself for a sure disaster. At least, in his mind it was going to be a disaster.

Sighing to himself, Draco left the room in a hurry. He wanted to get this over as soon as possible. He clambered down the stairs, Draco's feet banging against the wood. The whole house must have heard him coming down. But, strangely, Draco didn't really care. This was a moment, an event, a memory, that would probably change Molly and Arthur for the rest of their lives.

Draco was in the dining room without even realizing it. It was like he was walking through his own house. At this point, the Burrow _did _feel like Draco's home, but he would never admit that out loud. Draco glanced around the entry way to the kitchen. He saw Molly and Arthur and Ron all sitting around the small breakfast table in there, laughing and talking amongst themselves. It was a moment before Ron looked up and saw Draco. He had the biggest smile Draco had ever seen. Ron just kept surprising him with bigger and bigger smiles, it seemed like.

"Mum, dad, I think Draco wanted to show you something." Ron said out of the blue. Molly and Arthur turned and looked at looked at the blonde. Arthur looked pleased to see Draco, while Molly just raised her eyebrows. It was hard to tell what she was feeling at the moment. Draco shuffled his feet a bit, his guitar banging against his leg.

"I wanted to play you guys something." Draco quietly said, looking at the ground. Arthur let out a pleasant sigh.

"Well, come sit down, Draco my boy! There's a free seat next to Ron." The older man cheerfully said. Draco sent mental waves of thanks and hope that on some level Arthur could read his mind. Not like Draco would ever say anything like that out loud; it made him feel crazy just thinking it. Casting those thoughts aside, he took a seat next to Ron. His friend, his rock, his support right now. Draco nervously adjusted his guitar on his lap, the harmonica attached to a funny looking contraption around his neck. Ron gave his friend a funny look, but quickly covered it up with a smile.

"I didn't write this, but I hope that you guys enjoy it anyway." Draco nervously said. Before Molly or Arthur could say anything and make Draco anymore nervous, he began to strum the strings and play the song.

"_I am I, you are you, we are we  
We could live in such harmony._

Can't you see, apathy, lies between  
We could live in such harmony.

And I am praying for the day  
When you and I and he and she are we  
When you and I and he and she are we  
Humanity will sing harmony.

We start a war, but what's it for? We fight for peace  
Peace will find us with harmony

So trade your guns, and fire with doves. We fight for love  
And peace will find us with harmony

And I am praying for the day  
When you and I and he and she are we  
When you and I and he and she are we  
Humanity will sing harmony.

So one for all, and all for one, we for we  
We could sing in such harmony

I work for you, you work for me, we work for free  
And we could sing in such harmony

And I am praying for the day  
When you and I and he and she are we  
When you and I and he and she are we  
Humanity will sing harmony."

Draco finished out with a few puffs on the harmonica. It didn't sound perfect, or even all that great, but that was alright. It fit Draco perfectly. The entire time while he was playing, Draco didn't look at Molly or Arthur once. He glanced at Ron out of the corner of his eye, but maybe only once or twice. Draco took in a chest full of air and looked up at the Wesley's.

Molly had tears in her eyes. Arthur had a sad but proud smile on his face. And Ron… Ron was glowing. His smile was soft, but it warmed Draco's heart in a way that scared him a little bit. Draco's heart filled up with warmth as well, taking him to happiness on a new level that he wasn't even aware was possible. And all because Ron _smiled _at him.

_I have a big problem. _

"That was wonderful, Draco!" Molly cried out. The blonde tore his face away from his friend and looked at the beaming woman. She looked like she might cry at any second. Arthur, sitting next to her, still had that warm smile on his face. It reminded Draco of Ron.

He chanced a look back at his friend. Ron still looked so happy. Draco wasn't really sure why Ron was happy. He didn't do anything other than play a song written by his dead friend. Nothing special, in Draco's eyes. Still, that smile from Ron made his heart melt. Draco forced himself to look away, his face now feeling a bit red.

"Thank you." Draco sheepishly replied, sinking back into his mind before anymore confused feeling about Ron emerged.

LLLLLLLLLL

God, this took to fucking long. My older sister has been eating around me all night, and I have a HUGE phobia of people eating around me, so this motivated me to finish it even more. I hope that everyone enjoyed it. I know it's short, but it hasn't been updated in forever. Please, let me know what you think. Something should be coming soon!


	23. To Fill The Silence

A/N: I'm so sorry for the long wait everyone! I know that I should have had this done about a month ago, but I am part of set crew for my school's play, and then we had a ton of snow up here. But I sat myself down and finally got this done. Thank you everyone that has stuck with it so far! And thank you everyone and anyone that has left a review so far! Now, please enjoy the chapter and let me know what you think!

LLLLLLLLLL

Ron paced back and forth across the kitchen. He couldn't sleep, he couldn't eat, and it was driving him crazy. And it wasn't even three in the morning.

It had been almost a week since Draco played that song for his parents. It appeared to Ron that Draco and his parents were on very good terms. It made Ron really happy to see them all getting along, almost like they were family. It really did warm Ron's heart to see them all like that.

Ron made himself stop pacing. It took more effort than he thought it would. His mind was scrambled all about. The red head was certain that he looked like absolute shit. He could just feel the bags forming under his eyes and the sluggish feeling his mind would have in the morning. But no matter how hard Ron tried, he couldn't get his mind so settle.

He closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath of air, slowly filling his lungs and slowly letting it out. It calmed his heart, but not his nerves. Ron snapped his eyes open, an idea filling his mind to the brim.

"Parchment… I need some parchment…" Ron mumbled to himself as he scrambled around the kitchen, sifting through every drawer his mind could focus on. After a moment or two of searching the red head happened upon some paper and a quill. He spread it on the kitchen counter and tried to settle his thoughts before forming the words he wanted to write.

_I have to word this just right… _Ron thought to himself, dipping the quill in some ink before pressing it to the paper.

_Dear Harry, _

_This is strange and kind of out of the blue. Right now it's only about three in the morning so a lot of this won't make sense. - _

Ron stopped writing to a brief moment, staring down at his scratchy but curly hand writing. How was he supposed to word this without Harry becoming suspicious? He dipped the quill in the ink again, slowly writing his thoughts down, making sure they wouldn't run away.

_- I had this dream, you see. It was a strange dream in itself, considering I wasn't being eaten by a dragon or going on some weird adventure with you and Hermione. It was actually kind of… normal. Except for the weird parts. Anyway, in my dream it was like a normal day at Hogwarts. No adventures, no fighting evil, no running for our lives. So it was a bit strange in the beginning, but dreams never really seem that strange when they're happening. Anyway, the really weird part of it was that we all – meaning you, me, and Hermione – were friends with Malfoy. –_

It was hard for Ron to write "Malfoy" instead of "Draco". It didn't feel natural anymore. It felt _wrong_. More wrong than anything he's ever done. Ron had to fight back a few tears as he remembered the ending to his dream while dipping the quill once again in the ink.

_- We all got along like we'd been friends since the first day of our first year. It was odd, but kind of peaceful. But, towards the end of my dream, something happened to Malfoy and he started to bleed everywhere and died in my arms. It was… weird. I woke up and just felt like crying. But it made me think. What if we really were friends with Malfoy? What if, one day, he came to us and begged for forgiveness? Would you accept him as a friend, Harry? I think I would, after that horrible dream. I dunno, I had to get this out of my system and my mind before it ate me apart. _

_From, Ron_

Ron barely glanced over his letter, giving it just enough time to dry before folding it up and putting a stamp on it. If he thought about the letter for too long, he wouldn't send it. He needed to know. He needed to know if Harry would really accept Draco. Ron knew that Hermione would have trouble with it, but Ron wouldn't be able to bear it if Harry couldn't. Harry's his best friend… it would crush him.

"Why would it crush me?" Ron whispered to himself as he gave the letter to an owl sitting on the kitchen window sill. He watched it fly away until he couldn't see it anymore. Ron wasn't completely sure why he needed Draco to fit in with everyone. Now that he and Draco had become such good friends Ron couldn't imagine a life without him. Ron wasn't even sure how he went on before him and the blonde became friends. It all seemed like a dream.

As Ron stood and stared out the kitchen window, contemplating his newly forming life, he heard a slight thud behind him from the kitchen doorway. The red head turned, his eyes meeting with a beautiful head of blonde hair. He let out a chest-full of air he didn't even know he was holding and greeted Draco with a smile.

"Ron…? What're you doing up?" Draco questioned in a groggy voice. He stretched his arms above his head, his shirt rising up to just his belly button. It made Ron blush, but he pushed it away.

"I… couldn't sleep. I should be asking you the same thing." Ron replied, shaking the hair out of his eyes. Draco blinked a few times; his eyes still all squinty and tired looking. Ron raised an eyebrow, smiling to himself a little.

"Oh… ok." Draco mumbled, shifting around a little bit. Ron didn't even notice that the blonde didn't answer his question.

"Draco, are you still asleep?"

"It depends on how you look at it."

Ron chuckled, covering his mouth with his hand. Draco was entertaining while sleep walking, or whatever you would call this. The red head took a step or two towards Draco, giggles still escaping from his mouth.

"Let's get you to bed, alright?" Ron said between laughter. Draco sleepily nodded his head, turning on his heel ad almost falling over. Ron just barely caught him. As the red head carefully lead his friend back up the stairs, he thought about the letter and how Harry would react to it when he got it.

Ron just hoped there would be a good outcome.

000

Ron's mind was fuzzy for a brief second before it fully clicked on. Screams filled the air of his bedroom. Ron couldn't pin point where they were coming from. He threw the blankets back, grabbing his wand from his night stand even though he legally wouldn't be able to use it. He wildly looked around the room, searching for Draco. And then he saw him.

Draco was lying in his make-shift bed, thrashing about and screaming at the top of his lungs. Every so often he'd break for a second to let out a loud sob, gulp for some air, and then start all over again. It made Ron sick to his stomach to see his friend like that. He threw his wand back onto the nightstand as he climbed down onto the floor.

"Draco, Draco wake up!" Ron exclaimed, shaking his friend with such a force Ron was certain it would leave bruises. The blonde reached up from under his blankets and grabbed onto Ron, his nails digging into his skin. Draco's face turned red as he tried to push Ron off of him in his sleep. Ron just grabbed onto Draco tighter.

"Draco, wake up!" Ron screamed as loud as he could. He didn't care if his parents woke up. Draco's eyes flew open, wild and panicked looking. They darted all around Ron's face as more tears fell. The red head let his face soften a little bit as he realized that Draco was waking up. He then blushed redder than his house colour when he realized was practically straddling the blonde.

"Ron… Ron, you're… it was a dream. It was just a dream…" Draco mumbled, his eyes locking with Ron's for a second before they moved away from Ron completely. It was in that moment the blonde started to cry really hard without making a sound. It was one of the strangest but somehow most beautiful things Ron has ever seen.

"Draco, what's wrong?" Ron quietly asked as his muscles relaxed a little bit. Draco's tears seemed to slow down as he looked back at the red head.

"I… had a dream. You were there and so was Vincent. But he wasn't really there, he was dead. And then you disappeared because you – because you die- "

Draco couldn't finish his sentence. Sobs overtook him. In a flash, Draco went from lying under Ron to half sitting up and clinging on to his friend for dear life. Draco's fingers wound themselves into the back of Ron's shirt, Draco's face buried into Ron's shoulder as it slowly started to soak through with tears. Ron was startled for a moment, never have seen the blonde like this before. He never thought he's ever see Draco like this. After the shock wore off, Ron wrapped his arms around Draco's slim frame, almost blanketing the smaller boy with his body. The blonde's cries were muffled into Ron's chest now.

"Draco, it's ok. I'm not going to die any time soon. I'm not going to leave you, either. I'm never going to leave you, ok? It's alright, Draco, I'm right here. You don't need to worry." Even as Ron said it, it didn't sound all that comforting. But, to Ron's surprise, Draco's sobs started to stop, now just small hiccups of tears. He pushed Ron back just a bit to look his friend in the eye.

Draco's eyes were red and puffy and so sad looking it tore Ron's heart apart. His face was red with tears stains, making it look blotchy. Draco's lips were all chewed up, but Ron guessed that was previously done. Draco was a little ball of nerves, so Ron didn't blame him. The blonde's usual cool grey eyes were now a deep colour of sadness.

"Thank you."

"For what?" Ron immediately replied. He felt like he hadn't done much.

"For waking me up." Draco replied in a small voice, but Ron felt like that sentence had more than one meaning.

"You need some sleep, mate." Ron mumbled with a smile. Draco nodded his head, flopping back down onto his make-shift bed. But he didn't let Ron go. He actually brought Ron down with him.

Ron let out a little yelp as he hit the bed. He could still feel Draco's hands wrapped around his waist. The burrowed himself into Ron, shifting around a bit before relaxing. Ron felt his skin heat up from the blush all over his body and tried to push Draco away. Draco just held on tighter.

"I'm going to sleep now." Draco softly said, almost unheard by Ron. Before Ron could think of anything to say, he felt and heard the steady breathing of Draco falling back asleep.

000

It had been a few days since Draco's terrible nightmare. It was awkward waking up and tangled up in each other, but somehow the two friends were able to ignore it and continue on with their lives. Ron asked him a day or two later why Draco had been screaming so loud. Draco's face gave him a smile, but his eyes shouted with sadness.

"When you left in my dream, it was so quiet I had to fill the silence somehow."

That was all Draco was willing to tell Ron, no matter how many times the red head asked him. And with that, life continued on for the two.

It was currently almost four days since then. Draco had already gone up to get ready for bed while Ron finished his nighttime snack. As he brought the dishes to the sink, his eyes grazed over the window. In the darkness, Ron could just make out an owl flying towards the Burrow. A wide smile broke out on Ron's face as he threw the window open, just in time for the owl to come barreling through it. It landed on the counter behind Ron, an envelope clutched in its beak.

"Thank you." Ron quietly said as he took it from the owl. It squawked at him as it flew back out the window and towards the barn. Ron turned back to his letter. Written in Harry's boyish handwriting was "To Ron". He tore it open and carefully unfolded the letter.

_Dear Ron,_

_I have gotten some surprising letters in my short life, but this one surprised me the most. Well, not really surprised… I don't know the right word for it, but it left at a loss of words when I first read it through. _

_This dream sounds very depressing. I don't know how else to voice the feeling I had when I read it. But it made me think, too. What if we really were friends with Malfoy? It made me think more about him asking for forgiveness. I honestly don't think that he would, since he's a proud person. But if he did, I would be more than willing to give him the chance. I don't see a reason why I wouldn't. I know he's done some horrible things to us in the past, but everyone deserves a second chance, right? I feel as if I'm rambling now. _

_I hope that the rest of your summer has been alright so far. Is it alright if I still come over before summer ends? I was thinking maybe a week before school started, but it's up to you and your parents. Be sure to say hello to them for me! I can't wait to see you all and Hermione. Have you talked to her at all over the summer? I haven't had the chance to yet. _

_But if Malfoy really did want to be our friend, he would have to prove himself. Just kind of for kicks, you know. _

_From, Harry_

Ron read the letter again and again. He couldn't belief that Harry would actually _accept _Draco. Harry had a bigger heart than Ron knew. Ron refolded the letter, carefully sticking it in his jeans pocket. It made his heart swell with happiness that Draco would get the acceptance that he wanted. Ron then stopped in his tracks, staring straight at the floor.

Why was he so happy about Draco fitting in? Not all of his friends like each other, Ron knew that. Not even all of his family liked each other. So why should _Draco_, the person who made his life a living hell up until almost a year ago, mean so much to him?

_It's not like I _like _him or anything. _Ron thought. He laughed for a second, but then his face become hot and he was sure it was red. He got those stupid little butterflies in his stomach when he thought about liking Draco. He throat felt tighter just _thinking _about the blonde. Ron blinked and gulped for air several times before even trying to walk again.

He didn't like Draco like _that, _did he?

_All the signs point to it. _Ron thought as he pushed those thoughts away and clambered up the stairs to his room.

LLLLLLLLLL

This chapter isn't nearly as long as I wanted it to be. But I felt the need to upload it while I had everything in mind. I'm so sorry for the long wait! I went and saw the seventh Harry Potter movie today, and that inspired me to finish this chapter. I'll try to get another up soon!


	24. I Wish That You Loved Me

A/N: Wow, I can't believe it. This story is under ten chapters from being finished. Only about two more chapters until summer is over. I'm going to try and make this chapter as long as I possibly can. Thank you everyone who has read and stuck with the story so far! Please let me know what you think! The song used is **The Nicest Thing by Kate Nash.** I only changed one word in it to fit the story!

LLLLLLLLLL

Draco lay on Ron's bed. Considering what had happened in the past week or so, it didn't feel strange to do so.

After the whole 'waking up and screaming in his sleep' thing, Draco had noticed that Ron had been acting strange around him. Ron smiled more at the blonde. He was being a lot more friendly than usual. Every single accidental touch made Ron blush a deeper red than Draco had ever seen. It gave Draco butterflies followed by a feeling of awkward satisfaction.

The real epiphany didn't happen until just a few hours ago.

Ron and Draco had been outside, patrolling the backyard for gnomes. At least, that's what they told Molly they were doing. It was easier to tell her that than actually having to do chores. The two walked around the house out towards the garden. Tall flowers and other sorts of plants hid them from view. They lay down in the grass, the afternoon sun blanketing them in warmth.

"I don't want summer to ever end!" Ron exclaimed, stretching against the grass like a cat. Draco tried not to look when Ron's shirt rode up a little. Instead, he scoffed at his friend and gave the red head a crooked smile.

"What, so it's warm all the time? It doesn't sound too bad, actually." Draco said more to himself than Ron. Draco looked over at the red head, his smile fading a bit. Ron had this smile on his face that wasn't happy in the slightest. It made Draco want to reach over and pull his friend into a tight hug.

"No… just this summer. I like having you here at the Burrow and spending time with you." Ron quietly replied. Draco just stared at his friend, feeling his face get warmer by the second. Draco wanted to reach out and hug Ron and _kiss _him.

"Th-there's always next summer, you know." The blonde fumbled over his words, trying to fight back the urge to kiss his friend. It was a horribly awkward situation to be in. Ron's sad smile broke into a happy one, a small laugh escaping him.

"Yeah, but that's not the point." Ron mumbled, relaxing back into the soft green grass and staring right at the sun. Draco's face flushed as he continued to stare at Ron. Ron was just so _beautiful _in that moment. His eyes were shining in the sun light, different high lights on his brilliant red hair showing through. Ron's freckles looked flushed against his pale skin. It left Draco at a loss for words.

_God, I love him._

Draco felt his throat tighten a little bit at that thought. He coughed in surprise, earning a worried look from Ron. He gave Ron a nervous smile and looked away. Had he really just thought that? _Love? _It wasn't something that Draco was totally familiar with. But, then again, he wasn't familiar with having friends before Ron came along. And he's learned to adapt to that just fine.

The urge to touch him, to say something, to _do _something was so over powering to Draco that all he could do was sit there and stare at Ron.

000

After lying in the grass for what felt like hours, Ron and Draco headed back into the house. Draco claimed to have a headache and climbed the stairs up to Ron's bedroom to lie down. Ron, on the other hand, helped his mother with a few chores around the house, giving Draco enough time to mull over his thoughts.

When Draco entered the room, all he could do was stare at the floor. It felt like another wild dream to the blonde. Falling in love? That was something that Draco never even thought could happen to him. He thought that maybe later on in life, his parents would arrange him to marry some stuck up girl from another pure blood family. He thought that he'd be unhappy for the rest of his life. But falling in love, with another _boy_ to be precise, seemed like some horrible mixed up fairy tale dream.

Draco looked around the room, his eyes falling on Ron's bed. His make-shift bed on the floor was perfectly intact, still useable to lie on. But, in his current state of mind, all Draco wanted to do was lie on Ron's bed and forget about the world around him. He crashed down onto it, the bed creaking with every movement that he made. It was a wonder that Ron was able to fall asleep every night.

The blonde relaxed against the blankets, inhaling the familiar scent of Ron. It smelt like cinnamon and grass and happiness. It was an odd mixture, but Draco loved it.

_I need to stop thinking, just for one second. _Draco thought, trying to relax his panicking thoughts. It wasn't working very well.

_I don't understand any of this. But, now that I look back on everything, it all makes sense. Everything makes so much more sense. But love? I thought things like love took time. Or it just wasn't made for me. Either way, I can't let him know. I can't lose my most important person. Fuck, now I sound like a little girl. What if he feels the same way? It would explain why he's been acting strange the past few days… but I'm me, so probably not. God, why do I have to love him-?_

Draco's thoughts were interrupted by the bedroom door flying open. He sat up at lightning speed, trying to look like he wasn't doing anything weird. Ron stood in the doorway, his eyebrows raised at his friend.

"Uh, hi?" Ron mumbled. Draco nodded his head at his friend. He grabbed his guitar on the floor next to him, pretending that he was going to play it or practice. Ron let out a sigh, closing the door behind him as he walked across the room.

"Got all your chores done?"

"Yeah, mum made me do a lot more than I thought I'd be doing. I'm going to jump in the shower real quick." Ron replied, tearing off his shirt as he spoke. Draco was glad he had his guitar to focus on rather than Ron's naked chest.

"Ok, I'll just be sitting here." Draco mumbled, hoping that that didn't sound overly creepy. Ron nodded at him, throwing his shirt on the floor and closing the bathroom door behind him. Draco let out a sigh, playing a slow sad tune on his guitar. Words started to form in Draco's mind, and before he knew it a song had formed.

Inside the bathroom, Ron twisted the shower on and started to undress. He glanced over at the towel rack, noticing that there wasn't a towel there. He swore to himself, putting his boxers back on and cracking the door open. Before he could open it all the way, he heard the familiar sound of Draco's guitar. He stopped, listening to the song.

"_All I know is that you're so nice  
You're the nicest thing I've seen  
I wish that we could give it a go  
See if we could be something_

I wish I was your favourite boy  
I wish you thought I was the reason you are in the world  
I wish my smile was your favourite kind of smile  
I wish the way that I dressed was your favourite kind of style

I wish you couldn't figure me out  
But you always wanna know what I was about  
I wish you'd hold my hand  
When I was upset  
I wish you'd never forget  
The look on my face when we first met

I wish you had a favourite beauty spot  
That you loved secretly  
'Cause it was on a hidden bit  
That nobody else could see  
Basically, I wish that you loved me  
I wish that you needed me  
I wish that you knew when I said two sugars,  
Actually I meant three

I wish that without me your heart would break  
I wish that without me you'd be spending the rest of your nights awake  
I wish that without me you couldn't eat  
I wish I was the last thing on your mind before you went to sleep

Look, all I know is that you're the nicest thing I've ever seen  
And I wish that we could see if we could be something  
Yeah I wish that we could see if we could be something."

The low notes faded out, noises from the shower now filling the room. Ron felt this odd sense of sadness filling his heart. He quietly and slowly closed the bathroom door, not even risking the chance to steal a look at Draco. It sounded like, in Draco's voice, he was ready to cry. It ripped at his heart. Ron let the shower run for another minute or so, pretending that he was taking one. He was much too sad to think about taking one now. He shut it off, got dressed, and went back out into his room.

When the bathroom door flew open, Draco wasn't sitting on his bed anymore. In fact, Draco wasn't even in there anymore. The guitar was resting on Ron's bed, almost like it belonged there. Ron ran his hand through his hair and let out a sigh.

000

Draco couldn't sleep.

He had been trying to sleep for hours on end. It felt like he had been trying for a whole lifetime. But, no matter how hard he tried, the blonde just couldn't sleep. For a while he heard the soft snores of Ron, but they stopped just a short while ago. Draco threw the covers back and sat up in bed, turning his head in the direction of Ron's bed.

"Ron?" Draco quietly said. He heard some shifting from Ron's direction.

"Yeah…?" Ron sleepily said back. It wasn't sleepy like he had just woken up. More sleepy like his body was awake, but his mind wasn't. Draco swallowed.

"I can't sleep."

"Me neither, mate."

A comfortable silence filled the air next. Draco stared into the darkness for another minute or so before completely pushing the blankets off of himself, carefully crawling over to Ron's bed. He tried to steady his breathing as he folded back Ron's blankets and slowly crawled in. He felt and heard Ron move away and sit up a bit.

"What're you doing?"

"I can't sleep, and I'm cold on the floor." Draco halfway lied. True, he couldn't sleep. But his skin felt like it was on fire from nerves. Ron didn't push Draco out of the bed or even away from him. He just adjusted himself so that Draco had more room.

"Well, I hope you're able to get some sleep now." Ron mumbled sleepily with a chuckle. Draco blushed and he was glad that Ron couldn't see it.

"Night, you jerk." Draco grumbled while stealing half of Ron's blankets. Ron just laughed at him and stole them back.

"Goodnight, Draco."

000

Ron had let Draco sleep in his bed for three nights now. They never talked about it, never acknowledged it. It was something that just happened, and Draco loved it. The more and more time he spent with the red head, the more and more he was sure of himself being in love with him. It didn't even feel wrong anymore. It felt more wrong _not _to be near Ron. Draco knew he was spiraling down into something that he couldn't get out of, but he didn't mind the least bit.

Throughout sleeping in the same bed, the two had made sure not to touch each other. It just seemed like a polite thing to do. They had kept it like that until this current morning.

Draco woke to the birds chirping loudly outside of Ron's crooked window. He slowly cracked his eyes open, shaking away the sleepiness. His eyes went wide with shock once he fully realized what was going on.

The blonde was staring right into Ron's deep blue eyes. It was apparent that Ron had been awake for quite some time now; all the sleep had vanished from his eyes. All Draco could do was stare back at his friend and fight the urge to kiss him.

The early morning glow created an aura of surrealism. A part of Draco wanted to roll over and look away from Ron. He knew that after all of this, the air between the two would be awkward. But another part of him, the part that was much greater, wanted to stay like this. And so he did.

Ron's eyes were hazily fixed on the blonde, not leaving him even for a second. Their legs were tangled together, their arms and hands just _almost _touching. Ron's breathing was opposite of Draco's; or was it the other way around? Neither could tell, neither really cared.

Draco slowly blinked, letting out a long puff of air. This all felt like a dream, like it wasn't really happening. The blonde could care less if it was a dream; he was going to enjoy it while it lasted. He vaguely wondered if Ron's skin was as soft as it looked, if he would be burned by his freckles…

Before the blonde knew it, he had reached his hand up towards Ron's face, gently and carefully tracing his fingers over the red head's freckles. Each and every one felt amazing to Draco, each one just as special as the last. His eyes slowly flickered back and forth between his finger tips and Ron's eyes, tending to linger on the red head's eyes. Oh, those eyes…

Draco could go on and on about Ron's eyes, but he decided not to. He wanted to enjoy the moment, not over analyze it. All he could focus on anyway was how Ron's eyes bore into his own, and how his hand was still resting on Ron's face. Draco felt his own face heat up as he tried to take his hand away, feeling like this moment should end.

To his surprise, Ron reached up and kept Draco's hand in place, not letting him go. The blonde wanted to say something, say anything, but he couldn't. Ron's gaze was too intense for him to think of anything coherent to say.

"Ron, I-"

"Draco."

Draco stopped. Ron's voice sounded so intense, so demanding but yet calm. It shocked the blonde. It was a tone that he'd never heard Ron use before. He closed his mouth, waiting for Ron to continue. The red head took in a deep chest-full of air.

"This doesn't feel awkward or weird like it should."

"Well, it does now."

Ron let out a small laugh. Draco blushed and waited for Ron to continue on.

"What I mean is, lying here with you, it doesn't feel weird. Doing something like this with Harry or Hermione or any of my other friends would feel weird and not right. _This _feels right. I don't really know how to explain it." Ron quietly said. His facial expression hardly changed the entire time. Draco knew his face was bright red by now.

"Ron, what're you saying?" _Please, let it be what I think he's trying to say. _Ron's face relaxed, his eyes becoming shiny, almost like he was going to cry.

"The past week, maybe two weeks, I've felt… different. I don't know, I guess I fully realized that I feel different around you. I feel comfortable, I feel safe, and I feel good about myself. It's how I used to feel around Hermione when I liked her. I guess what I'm trying to say is…" Ron stopped himself. He tried to gather his thoughts together, tried to slow things down just a little bit. He felt like the world was spinning just a little too fast. Before he could gather himself, he felt a soft pair of lips crashing into his own.

Draco couldn't hold it anymore. The strong feeling, the strong _want _to kiss Ron had over powered him. He crashed his face into his friends', a pair of soft lips on dry ones. It was an awkward kiss, lasting no more than a few seconds before Draco pulled away. It was in that moment the Draco fully realized just what was happening. The two boys stared at each other, Ron's face calm but thoughtful. Draco could feel his own contort into panic.

"I-I have to… go somewhere else…" Draco mumbled before he pushed Ron away along with the blankets, jumping up from the bed and dashing out the door. He didn't hear Ron calling after him; he didn't hear Ron sprinting down the stairs after him. All he could focus on was getting away and waking himself up.

This had to be some terrible sort of dream.

Draco went flying through the kitchen, past Molly and Arthur. He didn't look back at them, even when Molly yelled his name in worry. He just slammed the kitchen door open, running out into the fields surrounding the Burrow. Summer winds picked up around him, almost knocking the blonde right off of his feet. He ran down the path, his lungs burning with lack of oxygen.

"Draco, stop!" Ron screamed. The wind carried his voice over to Draco. The blonde stumbled as he turned and saw his friend chasing after him. He slowed his running, stopping in the middle of the path. He turned and saw Ron running towards him like he was going to hug him. When Ron got close enough for Draco to reach him, he pushed his friend away with all the strength he had. Ron had a look of pure confusion on his face.

"Stay away! This is just a horrible dream!" Draco screamed over the wind. Tears started to run down his face, even though Draco didn't really feel like crying. Ron's eyebrows were turned up, an expression of pure sadness.

"Draco, what-?"

"I love you, you idiot! I love you! I don't know how long I've known, maybe days or months or even years! But you're not supposed to like me back. In my life, nothing ever goes right! So this has to be some kind of torture dream or something because you're not supposed to like me back! God, please tell me this isn't a dream…" Draco exclaimed, chocking on his sobs in between sentences. He covered his face with his hands, trying to hide the tears. When Ron moved towards him, Draco started to hit himself in the face.

"Draco, stop!"

"I have to wake up, don't you get it? I need to wake up!" Draco screamed from behind his hands. Ron took that last step to close the gap between them, grabbed Draco's wrists, and made his friend stop. With just that action, Draco's tears stopped for a moment. The wind picked up again, making Ron's wild red hair look even wilder.

"I was trying to tell you that I like you. I mean _like _like you. Hell, maybe even love. Most likely love, but I've never really felt that so I can't be sure. But the point is I'm pretty much in love with you. So stop hitting yourself, stop freaking out, and accept that something good has happened in your life." Ron said, just loud enough to hear over the wind. Draco's eye darted from Ron's hands to Ron's eyes. He didn't know what to say back. He was supposed to be dreaming.

Without waiting for a reply, Ron brought Draco closer to him, closing the gap between them completely. He let go of the blonde's wrists and grabbed Draco's face instead, bringing it to his own. In one swift motion, he captured Draco's lips.

This time, it wasn't a small kiss on the lips. There was pressure and want and need behind it. Ron parted away from Draco for a moment to gulp in some air before connecting again. Draco turned his head to the side a little bit, applying a little bit of pressure behind the kiss as well. The wind picked up again, meshing blonde and red hair together to create something beautiful. It was the last thing Draco saw before he closed his eyes and focused completely on the kiss.

He was glad it wasn't a dream.

LLLLLLLLLL

Holy crap. Oh my god. I actually did it. This is what the previous twenty-three chapters have led up to. This is what I had pictured in my head when starting this fan fic. This whole chapter is what I eventually wanted to have happen. I know it probably feels a little rushed, I know that. But, to be honest, I'm getting tired of this fic. I want to finish it. There's only one more chapter of summer left, and then maybe two chapters left in the whole story. So this is almost done! I hope that everyone enjoyed it!


	25. Exactly What it Looks Like

A/N: We're getting to the end, everyone. Just two chapters after this. It's such a weird feeling. Anyway, thank you everyone that left reviews! Thank you everyone that has stuck with this story so far. But a big special thanks to **Mr Jakey Fakey **for his kind review! Your kind words always give me the extra push to write another chapter, so thank you very much! Anyways, everyone please enjoy the next chapter. Let me know what you think! I know that they might be slightly OOC, but just think about how you would act with someone you love.

Also! When I emailed this to myself, some random lines appeared through the text. If they're there, please ignore them! If they're not, I just look like a crazy person.

LLLLLLLLLL

Draco threw himself against Ron's bed, letting his body sprawl out across it. He let out a whiney noise when the red head tried to roll him over for some more room. Ron just let out a laugh as he crawled next to the blonde.

It had been a week since the confession between the two. Draco barely remembered what happened afterwards. All he could remember was Ron taking his hand with a smile and leading him back to the Burrow. The rest of the day was a blur of smiles and Ron's fiery hair and loving kisses. There wasn't even the slightest hint of awkwardness. It just felt too _right _to the both of them.

The two didn't even have to act differently around Ron's parents. To them, nothing had really changed. They still felt the same, they still treated each other the same. There was nothing to hide around Arthur or Molly. Nothing except the occasional urge to jump each other and kiss each other to death. Other than that small part, everything had remained almost normal.

Currently, there was only a week left before Draco had to leave the Burrow. The summer had flown by so quickly that Draco wished he could take it all back. That he could have just opened his eyes and spent the whole summer with Ron, kissing and hugging him and loving him. If only revelations could happen faster.

The blonde rolled over on his side, letting Ron have a bit more room to lie down. His arms were bent awkwardly at his side, his brilliant blonde hair covering a good portion of his face. Through his not-too-thick hair, Draco stared at Ron. After a minute, Ron glanced down at his friend and gave him a smile.

"You know, you don't hide yourself very well behind hair." Ron quietly said with a small laugh. Draco's face immediately felt hot.

"Whatever, I'm not hiding." Draco mumbled as he brushed the hair away. He scooted himself just a bit closer to the red head, close enough to feel the other's body heat. It was quiet for a few moments, Ron staring at the foot of the bed and Draco's eyes just wandering where ever around the small room. Without thinking too terribly hard, a thought popped into Ron's head. Before he could talk himself out of it, he felt his mouth open and heard his voice speak.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Can I ask you something in return?"

Ron blinked a few times, trying to gather his thoughts together again. He hadn't expected Draco to request something in return. His curiosity got the better of him.

"Sure…?" Ron's voice trailed, scooting away from Draco just a bit. His neck was hurting and he wanted to look at Draco when he asked his question.

"Ok, you first." Draco mumbled as he sat up in the bed. Ron sat up shortly after him, still trying to put his thoughts back together. After a moment or two of thinking about it, he just let go and went for it.

"Ok, so you remember when I woke you up in the middle of the night because you were screaming? You said that is was to fill the silence. I still don't understand." The red head spat out. He tried to say it as slowly as he could. It still came out almost too fast for the blonde to register. Draco stared past Ron for a moment, searching for the right words to voice his thoughts. It made Ron feel a tad bit awkward, him just sitting there and Draco staring off into space.

"Do you remember what it was like when you first heard me play?"

"Wait, you didn't answer my- "

"Just go along with it, ok?" Draco calmly but firmly said as he cut Ron off. The red head sat there and thought about the first time he ever heard Draco play the guitar. It filled his heart with warmth remembering that moment.

"Yeah, I remember." Ron softly replied. Draco brought his eyes back to Ron's, refusing to look away.

"You know that feeling of warmth and happiness and like the world is never going to end? Like you're falling and flying at the same time? I feel like that every single time I look at you." Draco quietly said. Ron's head spun for a brief moment as he processed everything that Draco had said.

"That still doesn't answer my question." Ron bluntly said. Draco finally looked away from his friend as a small, sad laugh escaped him. Running his hands through his hair, Draco turned back towards Ron.

"In my dream, you died, remember? Without you there, I didn't feel happy anymore. And that _terrified _me. As cheesy as it sounds, you're the music in my life." Draco said with such intensity it left Ron speechless. Without having to think very much, Ron reached up and wrapped his arm around Draco's slim frame. It created this weird sort of half-hug, but neither of them minded it. Ron took in a deep breath of air and turned his head towards the blonde.

"Is it weird that that same night I had a dream where you died, too?"

Draco's eyes snapped back up towards the red head, but Ron's face was no longer in his direction. Instead, Ron was staring at his blankets, the end of the bed, the rest of the room. Anywhere but Draco. The blonde felt his cheeks flare up, but he wasn't really sure why he was blushing.

"Maybe… it was some sort of weird sign." Draco mumbled. Ron's gaze finally met back up with his. The red head's eyebrows were furrowed slightly, like he was trying to understand what Draco had said.

"What?"

"Well, not long after, all of... this happened. So maybe it was some kind of messed up sign that we really need each other." Draco slowly said. He chose his words carefully. At times like this, sometimes it can be easy to say what you don't mean. Or something like that. Draco wasn't really sure what his brain was thinking at this time.

Ron let Draco's words sink it, letting them fill his heart until it felt like it was going to explode. It created this _feeling _in his chest, like it was just swelling with happiness. Ron knew that his face was bright pink by now, his freckles probably looking a scary colour against it. But he found that he really couldn't care less. He needed Draco, and Draco needed _him_. He gave the blonde a small smile, taking his arm back and resting it next to Draco's on the bed. Without a second thought, he grabbed the other's hand, lacing their fingers together. Ron stared at the connected hands for a moment, looking at Draco. His face was flushed as well. Ron smiled.

"So, what was your question?" Ron quietly asked as he ran his thumb along Draco's hand. The blonde now found it a little difficult to speak or to gather his thoughts together or _anything _for that matter. He took a deep breath and looked Ron right in the eyes. It was now or never.

"I realized that I loved you not too terribly long ago. But, somewhere in the back of my mind, I know that I've at least liked you for a while now. Or something weird like that. It's hard to explain. The point of my speech is… well... when did you realize that you liked me, too?" Draco quietly said. He made himself say it slowly so Ron could catch it all. It was so painful to finally voice all the thoughts and feelings that he had felt for what felt like forever. Draco couldn't even look at Ron at this point; the air just felt too thick.

After a moment or two of awkward silence, Draco took the chance to steal a look at the red head. Ron's face... Draco had never seen it like this before ever. He looked so serious and like he was thinking so damn _hard_. The blonde forced himself to look away after he pictured one of Ron's veins bursting in his neck. He just looked like he was thinking so damn hard.

"You know, I actually don't remember."

Draco looked back at Ron, his voice stirring him from his thoughts. Ron had his eyes fixed on the blonde once again. His face was just so intense now... so determined looking. Draco had to look away before he got lost in it.

"What?" He managed to mumble in response.

"I don't remember a time where I decided that I liked you or loved you or anything like that. It's like, one day I saw you as a really good friend and the next… I just wanted to hold and kiss you." Ron softly replied. His hand tightened around Draco's. It was the most intimate and open that Draco had ever been with someone. The second he thought that, he started to become afraid.

The blonde's eyes went from their intertwined hands back up to the red head's face. Draco's eyebrows were turned upward slightly, his mouth parted just enough for Ron to see where he's been biting the inside of his lip. Draco could feel his heart beat faster, his skin become warmer from the rushing blood. Ron took this all in. This horribly beautiful sight in front of him… he saved this moment in the back of his memory before he ruined it.

Before Draco knew it, something soft forcefully hit him right in the face. It shocked and surprised him so much he almost fell over. Ron's sing-song laughter erupted in the silent room. Draco looked at him, seeing a pillow in Ron's spare hand. The hand that wasn't connected to the blonde. Draco gave his friend an evil smile, ripping his hand away. Ron had this look of curiosity before he realized that Draco had grabbed his own pillow, getting ready to pummel him with it.

"Wait, Draco-!" Ron tried to say but was silenced by the pillow repeatedly hitting him across the face. Ron managed to get a hold of his own, swinging it around wildly and hoping that it'd somehow stop the mad man in front of him.

After a few moments of play fighting, both the boys were roaring with laughter. They were now sprawled out on Ron's bed, both of them on their backs. Ron's legs were dangled on top of Draco's. It was a tight fit – Ron thought he was going to fall off once or twice – but it was comfortable. What could be more comfortable than lying in bed with the person you love?

"What the bloody hell was that for?" Draco suddenly said with a laugh. At this point he couldn't contain his giggling. Ron gave a short laugh, but the atmosphere quickly became serious again. The blonde made himself stop laughing.

"I like it better when you smile." Ron simply said. Draco stared at the ceiling, letting the unfamiliar relaxing feeling of laughter sink into him. He didn't say anything back to the red head. They just stayed there in a comfortable silence.

He liked it when he smiled, too.

000

The week was up. It was the day that Draco had to leave.

The two had been putting it off all day, packing a bit here and there, kissing and touching more than they should have been. Currently, it was the awkward time between lunch and dinner time. Both of them knew that Harry was going to be here for dinner, Hermione coming the following morning. Ron loved his friends dearly, but he was dreading having to part ways with Draco. It was for a short time, only a week, but he still couldn't stand the thought of it.

The two were standing the middle of Ron's bed room, trying to find the rights words to say goodbye. Arthur had called up a few minutes ago, giving Draco the warning that they were leaving soon. Ron wasn't able to go with them to drop Draco off at the train station; Molly wanted him here to help out with dinner and to greet Harry. It killed Ron when she requested this, but he couldn't protest. His parents still didn't know.

Neither of them had been very good at it… saying goodbye. Ron had done it before, but not very well. Draco had never done it properly. Right now, they were just standing there, Draco no more than a step away from Ron. The red head let out a small laugh, earning a concerned look from the blonde.

"I feel so stupid…" Ron mumbled. Draco raised an eyebrow.

"Explain?"

"I feel so… ridiculous. I'm going to see you in a week. A _week_. But even that feels like forever. You haven't even left yet and I miss you terribly already." Ron said, making himself not look at Draco as he spoke. He already knew that his friend's face would be red from his words; he didn't need to embarrass him anymore. Draco let out a small smacking noise as he forced his mouth open to speak.

"You don't need to feel stupid, Ron." Draco softly said. He had this tone of understanding. Ron took this as a chance to look at him now. Draco's face was slightly flushed, the hint of a small smile present. It made his heart ache for the other.

"Well, it's not just my stupid feelings. What about you? How're you going to be this week? And what about when we get back to school? How is everyone _really _going to take this? I don't care about the entire school, just the people that matter to us." Ron word vomited all over the place. It had been a very long time since Draco had seen him do that. It made his smile grow.

Draco took half a step forward, closing some of the distance between them. He reached towards the red head, resting his hand on his shoulder. Draco started to play with the wrinkles on Ron's sweater a bit, trying to piece together what he wanted to say.

"You're going to be fine. I'm going to be fine. _We're _going to be fine. Nothing is going to take us apart. You're stuck with me and nothing the world says can change that." Draco declared into Ron's small bed room with a crooked window. The words hung in the air, so proud and wild that it almost made Draco want to reach out and take them back. But he meant every single word he said.

Draco knew that this affected more than just him and Ron. There was literally the entire Wizarding World to climb over. And he knew that Ron was aware of this. And he really didn't give a damn. He'd face Voldemort himself head on if it meant he could always be with Ron.

With that thought, Draco felt the weight of the world being lifted off of him.

The red head stared straight into Draco's eyes. It started to make the blonde feel a little uncomfortable, but he didn't mind. It gave him a feeling of love mixed in with the awkwardness. Ron reached up, grabbing his friend by the shoulders and pulling him into a tight hug.

Draco blushed and only hesitated for a second before wrapping his slim arms around Ron's frame. It probably should have been a bit of an awkward hug, considering how much taller Ron was than Draco. But it wasn't. The red head's body, like always, just created a blanket over the blonde and seeping warmth into him. Draco's chin was just resting on Ron's collarbone. It should have hurt, but it didn't. He took in a deep breath, breathing in the smell of Ron. He couldn't describe it any other way but Ron.

Before either of them knew it, they were kissing again. It wasn't a passionate, desperate kiss like it had been earlier in the day. It was slower, gentler, a promise. More of a "see you later" kiss rather than a "goodbye" kiss. Despite how much both of them wanted to be like that forever, they knew they'd see each other again. There was no need for goodbyes.

A loud noise came from over near Ron's bed room door. The red head opened his eyes for a split second – when had he closed them? – and glanced over in that direction. In less than a second, Ron tore his face away from Draco's, his face a brilliant shade of red. His eyes met with confused green ones, his mind searching for words to explain the current situation.

"H-Harry! Uh-um, you're not supposed-!" Ron stumbled over his words. His face became even redder with each word. Harry stared wide-eyed at his best friend for a good moment as Ron continued to stutter and curse at himself. His eyes switched over to Draco.

Then, he did exactly the opposite of what Ron expected: Harry started to laugh.

The laughter of the "Boy Who Just Won't Fucking Die" sparked Draco's anger like it usually did. In fact, it made the blonde a degree more anger than the usual. This was not a situation to laugh at, in his opinion. But there Harry was, laughing so hard he was almost on the floor.

"This isn't funny, Potter!" Draco screamed – in a manly way, of course – at the laughing boy. Harry made himself stop, bits of giggles escaping him every now and then. He wiped the tears off his face as Ron glanced between the two.

"Is this what your letter was about, mate?" Harry questioned with a chuckle at the end. Draco furrowed his eyebrows, taking a step away from Ron.

"Letter, what letter?" Draco quickly asked. Harry had a sheepish smile on his face while Ron started to panic.

"Well, um, you see, about that – "

"Draco, dear, it's time for you and Arthur to leave!" Molly's voice called from the bottom of the stairs. The room became still as the reality of the situation came crashing back to Ron and Draco.

There was this pause. A pause that screamed "what now?". The two just stared at each other for a moment, Ron forgetting that Harry was even there. He reached out towards Draco, stopping himself before he could actually touch the other. Draco blinked a few times before giving his friend an understanding, sad smile. The blonde tilted his head to the side, forcing himself to look away from the red head.

"I'll see you later, Ron." Draco quietly said. It was so hard for him not to cry, and he felt stupid that he wanted to cry. And feeling stupid about it made him want to cry even more. Ron smiled a sad smile to himself, scratching the back of his head and taking a step back.

"Yeah, see you later..." Ron trailed.

And with that, Draco picked up his bags, turned on his heel, and left the Burrow.

000

"Ok, I would love it if you would explain."

"Harry, there can't be anything more awkward than your best friend walking in on you kissing another bloke, so please give me a minute." Ron said in between his fingers. He could feel his face turn bright red as he spoke.

After Draco left, Ron just collapsed on his bed, burying his face into his hands. Harry awkwardly stood by the bed, trying to think of the right words to say to his best friend. Nothing came to mind right away, so he just stared at the red head for a good twenty minutes before speaking.

Ron slowly took his hands away from his face, a tight frown on his face and his eyebrows furrowed. The look on his face was almost enough to make Harry laugh, but the seriousness of the situation kept him from doing so.

"This is what I mean, you know… in the letter…" Ron trailed. Harry raised an eyebrow.

"Elaborate?"

"In my letter… I wanted to know if you'd ever be friends with Draco… well, that's kind of why." Ron mumbled in response. Harry let his face relax as he took in what Ron was saying.

"Well, alright then."

"What?" Ron sputtered out as he sat up in his bed. Harry shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't mind being his friend."Harry clarified. Ron felt like screaming with happiness with a mixed feeling of suspicion.

"You… really don't have a problem with it?" Ron slowly said. Harry looked at the floor and shrugged his shoulders again.

"Why should I? I mean, sure, Malfoy's done some horrible things in the past. But I know that you wouldn't like him unless he really proved himself. And I'm not the bad guy in your story, Ron. You're my best mate; I'll support you no matter what happens." Harry quickly said. Ron had the feeling that he didn't really plan what he was going to say, but that was alright. It meant more than the world to him that his best friend still supported him. It almost brought tears to the red heads eyes.

Ron wiped at his face, giving his best friend the biggest smile ever. He was scared for a moment that he face would break in two. Harry smiled back at him, his green eyes filled with understanding.

"Thank, Harry. That means more than you'll ever know." Ron quietly said. Tears of happiness were threatening to fall. Harry just let out a small laugh as he shifted around on his feet.

"I hope you know that if he ever hurts you, he'll be in a world of shit." Harry shot back with a laugh. It took Ron off guard for a moment. He couldn't remember a time where he'd heard Harry swear of threaten bodily harm on anyone and actually mean it. And, even though Ron loved Draco very much, he couldn't help but openly laugh.

"I know, Harry. I know."

LLLLLLLLLL

This took so long. Much longer than I planned. I'm sorry for the long wait! I hope that everyone had a fantastic New Year. It's only two days in and I already hate it. But on the Brightside, I got the new Harry Potter video game for Christmas! Yay! Anyway, please let me know what you guys think!


	26. Just Look On The Brightside

A/N: Wow. This story is slowly coming to a close. It's weird to think that after working on it for so long. Thank you everyone that has reviewed, favourited, read, and anything else! It all means so much. So, here's a brand-spanking-new chapter! Let me know what you think! The song used in this chapter is **On The Brightside" **by **Christofer Drew **(Never Shout Never).

LLLLLLLLLL

Two weeks. It had only been two weeks since he returned to Hogwarts and Ron already felt like he was drowning.

At first, everything was great. Ron and Draco would meet in that same classroom and strum on the guitar and kiss here and there. But by the end of the first week, Ron felt like he was already piled up in homework. He and Draco would work on it together but it was becoming difficult to carry everything around at once. Ron could tell it was hard on the blonde, too.

It wasn't just that, as much as the red head hated to admit it. Social interactions were becoming hard as well. Only Harry knew about the two of them – Ron still couldn't suck it up and tell Hermione yet. The train ride back to Hogwarts was terrible. The red head desperately wanted to sit next to Draco, but he couldn't. It was torture.

Class wasn't much easier. Keeping up this image of hate was starting to drain Ron. If two measly weeks were too much for him, how could Ron put up with this all year? Ron didn't even know how Draco was feeling. He had been too nervous, oddly, to ask the blonde. He didn't want to stress Draco out or even worry him. It felt like there was a lot of unnecessary stress floating around and Ron didn't know what to do with it.

It was currently a free period before dinner. Ron was supposed to be studying but he couldn't focus for more than five seconds. Instead, the red head chose to wander near the lake a bit. It was still nice and warm out. He figured he might as well enjoy it while he can. So Ron walked. He would walk to a certain point, turn around, walk back from where he came, and do it all over again. Ron did this for a bit, letting his thoughts carry his feet.

As Ron was taking his short route back to the castle, almost getting ready to turn around and start again, something made the red head look up from the ground. He saw another figure a distance away standing by the lake, just looking out across the water. Ron didn't even have to be close to recognize who it was. The brilliant blonde hair was a dead giveaway.

Ron quickly but quietly moved towards the blonde, a wide smile on the red head's face. There was no one else around except for them. He had always wanted to do this. He wanted to give him a hug outside the comfort of his bedroom or that damned classroom. This was his chance, and Ron wasn't going to pass it up.

He was only a few steps away. Somehow the blonde hadn't noticed Ron approaching. Ron noticed how lost and distraught he looked. It made his smile falter for a second. Ron took his few last steps before jumping and attacking Draco with a hug. Draco let out a yelp as he almost toppled over.

Draco widely looked around him, his eyes connecting with Ron's before Ron latched himself onto the blonde again. It was an odd sight, if anyone had been walking by. It looked like Ron was trying to suffocate poor Draco in a death hug. Draco just awkwardly stood there, sort of patting the red head's back with a confused expression. The hug only last about five seconds before Ron let go. He was blushing madly as he looked away from Draco and out across the lake.

"Hi." Ron mumbled. Draco broke his confused expression and gave the red head a soft smile.

"Hey. You terrified me." The blonde replied with a laugh. Ron blushed as he tried to hide his smile. He kept his eyes on the lake.

"Sorry, just felt like giving you a hug." The red head sheepishly shot back. This only made Draco smile more. The two stood together for a little bit, looking out across the lake. It was quiet for a long time. Or, at least it felt like a long time to Draco. He decided to say something before the silence crushed him.

"So, what're you doing down here?" Draco slowly said. He looked at Ron, who was now looking straight at him. The red head just stared for a moment before looking away. He shuffled his feet in the dirt.

"Just… thinking. What about you?" Ron quietly replied. He looked back up at Draco, his eyes wide and curious. Draco blushed slightly.

"Just thinking."

"About what?"

"A lot of things." Draco cautiously replied. His thoughts weren't exactly coming together at the moment and he really didn't feel like blurting out random things. Ron raised an eyebrow.

"What kind of things?" Ron quickly responded. Draco sighed as he looked away from the red head. His melting thoughts were slowly starting to harden as the words he wanted to say calmly came to him. Draco looked back at Ron but avoided eye contact.

"It's… difficult, you know?"

"Yes, since I have no idea what you're talking about." Ron shot back. Draco let out a dry laugh as his nerves slowly vanished.

"No, I don't mean that. I mean school and life and everything in between. It's hard. I'm tired of going to school and pretending I'm still an asshole and then having to treat you like crap." Draco slowly said. He wanted what he was saying to sink into Ron's mind. He loved Ron dearly, but sometimes the red head could be a bit thick. He chanced another look at the other teen. Ron had this look of determination on his face. It almost made Draco die of laughter.

"I know it's hard. I'm tired of it, too. But it's either pretending or exposing ourselves to the world. Don't know about you, but neither of those sound very good to me." Ron blubbered. He didn't mean for it to sound so blunt, but how else could he put it? There weren't very many options for these two until they left school for good. Draco sighed, looking out at the lake again.

"I know that we don't have much of a choice. Have you ever thought of actually... you know… being open about everything?" The blonde slowly said again. He wasn't sure how Ron would react to this question, so he said it slowly. The gears started to turn as Ron processed the question.

"I don't know… I have thought about it a few times. It scares me, though. I know that it would be us against the Wizarding world. I don't know. It's just a terrifying thought to me." Ron replied, turning towards Draco and giving him a smile that _did not _fit the conversation topic. Draco tried to give the red head a smile back but he felt it get swallowed up by his fears.

"I know it's hard. But we really don't have to put up an act or anything. From now on, we'll just avoid talking to each other around friends and crap. Just until we figure out what to do." Draco mumbled as he leaned towards Ron, reaching up and cupping that freckled face. He tried giving the other teen another smile. It just looked sad and pathetic to Ron.

Before Ron could ask Draco what he meant, the blonde leaned in and kissed Ron right on the check just below his eye. It was soft and light and Ron probably would have thought he had imagined it if his eyes had been closed. It lasted only a second. In a blink of an eye, Draco pulled away and turned on his heel as he started to walk back towards the castle. Ron blinked a few times and he cupped his own face as a slight blush appeared.

The bell rang for dinner.

000

"He wants you to come with me."

Harry just about chocked on his food as Ron pulled away from him a bit. Harry was thankful that he came to breakfast earlier than usual; not many people came early. He punched himself in the chest as he tried to breathe again, Ron just giving him an odd look.

"He wants me to do _what_?" Harry exclaimed as his face turned red. Ron just raised an eyebrow.

"Um, Draco? He said he wanted you to come with me to the classroom after breakfast. Got some free time, remember? He told me last night. What in bloody hell has gotten into you?" Ron slowly said as Harry's face went from bright red to normal and then to bright red again.

"Next time you have something like that to say, don't creepily sneak up on me while I'm eating and whisper in a low voice in my ear. It sounds… wrong." Harry tried to calmly say. Ron just kept his confused face on before he realized exactly what his best friend meant. Both of them had bright faces now.

"Ok, I'm going to pretend this didn't happen. Rewind. Come to the classroom with me after breakfast." The red head said in a rush of words. Harry's face started to return to its normal colour again as he nodded his head.

"Ok, yeah, sure. Did he say why, exactly?"

"No. Well, kind of. He said he had something for you, but he wouldn't say anymore." Ron sighed in response. He plopped down next to Harry as he grabbed a piece of toast. Harry just raised an eyebrow at his friend.

"Well, now I'm curious." Harry said as Ron inhaled his toast.

"Then let's go. It's killing me to know as well." Ron replied rather loudly. Harry pushed his dishes away from him as he stood up from the table. Ron quickly followed him. Harry gave his best mate an odd look before waving his arms towards the Great Hall doors.

"Lead the way, mate"

000

Ron casually walked through the classroom door as harry stumbled after him. Draco sat on the table across from the door, his guitar held tightly in his lap, looking so nervous it even made Ron sweat.

"Hey, Potter."

"Hi." Harry replied in a stiff way. What could Ron expect? It's not like they would run and give each other a giant hug. That'd just be weird and Ron wanted to be the only one to hug Draco. He quickly erased that thought from his mind as harry awkwardly cleared his throat.

"So, what did you have for Harry?" Ron asked as he sat down on the table next to the blonde. Draco's face went slightly red. The red head noticed Draco loosen his grip on the guitar but tighten again. Harry sat down in a chair near the two as he waited for Draco to speak.

"I… wanted to show you what Ron and I first bonded over. You're an important person to Ron, so you're going to be an important person to me." Draco said in a blur. Harry raised his eyebrows and opened his mouth to speak, but Draco cut him off as he started to play his guitar and sing.

"_I met a man of two feet tall.  
This man was quite ambitious  
In a world that is so vicious  
To us all, I said hi  
As he replied, he said  
Listen to these words that I have lived by my whole life._

You're only as tall  
As your heart will let you be  
And you're only as small  
As the world will make you seem.  
And when the going gets rough  
And you feel like you may fall  
Just look on the bright side  
You're roughly six feet tall.

I met a man of twelve feet tall.  
He towered like a giant  
In a world that was defiant of his height.  
I said hi as he replied, he said Listen to these words that I have dreaded my whole life.

You're only as tall  
As your heart will let you be  
And you're only as small  
As the world will make you seem.  
And when the going gets rough  
And you feel like you may fall  
Just look on the bright side  
You're roughly six feet tall.

I am a man of six feet tall  
Just looking for some answers  
In a world that answers none  
Of them at all.  
I'll say hi  
But not reply to the letters that you write  
Because I found some piece of mind.

Cause I'm only as tall  
As my heart will let me be  
And I'm only as small  
As the world will make me seem.  
When the going gets rough  
And I feel like I may fall  
I'll look on the bright side  
I'm roughly six feet tall."

The last note of the guitar and Draco's voice echoed in the silent room Ron was bewildered. Each song he heard from Draco, he didn't think the blonde could get any better. But somehow, he does. Harry just sat there and stared the two of them. It made Draco nervous.

"I didn't know you could play guitar." Harry suddenly said. And like that, all the awkwardness that Draco had been feeling was washed away. He felt, in some small way, that this would be a new beginning.

"Uh, yeah. Learned a while back."

"I see why Ron's so smitten with you now." Harry said as he stood up from his chair and stretched. Ron's face went redder than his hair as Draco tried to hold back a laugh. Harry now stood in front of the two, a small grin on his face.

"I'm very glad you let me hear that." Harry said. Draco smiled a bit.

"No problem, scar boy." Draco replied with a laugh. Harry pouted at him. Ron just giggled – not giggled, that's not manly – at the two.

"Well, I need to go change before class starts." Ron suddenly announced. Harry nodded and moved to leave with his friend.

"Harry, I need to talk to you for a second." Draco quickly said. Ron stumbled as he turned to look at the blonde. Harry raised an eyebrow. Ron just nodded.

"Ok, see you two later." Ron loudly said as he gave Draco a smile, turned on his heel, and walked out of the classroom. Harry turned back to the blonde with an eyebrow raised. He felt like he was doing that a lot today.

"So…?" He trialed. Draco let out a heavy sigh as he motioned for the other teen to sit down.

"I need to ask you a few things…"

000

Ron slowly walked down the halls, taking his time getting back o the Common Room to change. He really wanted to know what Draco was talking to Harry about. But, at the same time, he felt like it wasn't his place to know. After all, up until a short time ago they were enemies, too. Ron should give them a little space to talk about things or whatever. He sighed, stopping at a window.

The weather was so gloomy. It matched how Ron was feeling at the moment. He couldn't stop thinking about what Draco said the other day. Wanting to expose themselves and all. For some reason, the thought depressed him. It wasn't that he was sad to be with the blonde. He was sad thinking about what could happen. Thinking about all the horrible, horrible things that could happen to them, to Draco…

"Something that matter, Ron?"

The red head nearly jumped out of his skin. He hadn't heard that voice in a long time. Ron twisted his head around as his eyes met Luna Lovegood's. She had a sweet smile on her face, her eyes full of curiosity. To be honest, she still gave Ron the creeps sometimes. Like how she could sneak up on him without making any noise.

"No… no, not really." Ron faltered. He wasn't sure why Luna, of all people, was asking him what was wrong. They didn't normally talk. Not like they ever really had the chance to. Luna let her smile fall just a little bit.

"Are you sure? You look awfully down for nothing being wrong."

Ron felt his eye twitch. Now he remembered why he didn't normally talk to her. Luna's honestly, for some reason, irked him to no end. He was a little jealous of how she could just be so damn _honest_. But sometimes the things she had to say could be hurtful. He didn't like that aspect of it.

"Yeah, everything's fine, Luna." Ron mumbled as he turned back towards the window, hoping that she would just walk away.

"You know, I saw you with him the other day."

Ron's hear froze. Every muscle in his body was on fire. His body was screaming at him to run. Had she really seen him with Draco? She couldn't have. There wasn't anyone around, Ron was sure of it. He glanced back at Luna and gave a shaky laugh.

"Wh-what're you talking about?"

"With Malfoy. You two were down by the lake, talking. It looked pretty serious, considering neither of you were really smiling. And then Malfoy kissed you, on the cheek. And I thought, 'Well, that's a little odd' and decided to ask you about it." Luna replied in her dream-like voice. Ron couldn't grasp a single word that she was saying. All he could focus on was the fact that she _knew_. He quickly came up with an excuse.

"Luna, surely you're mistaken."

"No, I know what I saw. And, judging by your reaction, I reckon I'm correct." She responded so fast it made Ron's head spin. He kept trying to find more excuses, more explanations. He couldn't find any. They'd been caught and it's only been three weeks into the school year. Ron let his shoulders slump forward in defeat.

"Fine."

"So, are you two dating?" Luna asked so bluntly. Ron felt his face redden a bit.

"…Yes." He replied through gritted teeth. Luna's smile came back.

"What were you two talking about?"

"… About telling people that we're… together." Ron slowly replied. Luna's smile went away again as she tilted her head to the side a bit.

"What did you two decide?" She quietly asked. Ron let out a sigh. He was at a loss for words, but at the same time there was so much he wanted to say. So, he took a deep breath and let it go.

He told her about all his fear of telling people, the friends they both could lose, and the trouble that Draco would be in. The hardships and bullying they would have to go through, how other people in the Wizarding World would treat them. How he didn't want Draco to end up leaving him through all of this for some odd reason and how he felt like he was just complaining. And Luna just stood there and listened. She didn't interrupt him a single time. She just nodded her head from time to time. When Ron was finished, it felt like the weight of the world had been lifted. It was quiet for a moment before Luna spoke.

"Even though you two love each other very much, it still sounds like there is a lot to talk about." Luna quietly said in that voice she always seemed to have. Ron blinked a few times. Her response was so simple, but it made complete sense. How could he have been so stupid?

_Because I'm Ron Wesley, that's why. _Ron thought to himself as he gave the blonde girl a sad smile. She gave him one of her calming smiles in response.

"Thank you." Ron mumbled.

"You better run off before the bell rings." Luna said out of nowhere. Ron's eyes widened as he realized just how long they had been standing there. He smiled at her as he turned from her and started to jog down the hall towards the Common Rooms.

All Luna could do was watch him with a smile.

000

"Do you think this is a good idea?"

"I think you're completely mental." Harry replied with a laugh. Draco pouted. Harry just laughed more.

"You're terribly mean."

"Like you're one to talk. I do think it's mental, but it'll work. Somehow I know it'll work." The brunette slowly said. Draco blinked a few times before sighing and turning away from the other teen. A hint of a smile was on his face as he spoke.

"I really hope that it does." He quietly said. Harry raised an eyebrow at him.

"You're _only _pretending to call a truce, right?" Harry asked rather loudly. Draco wiped the smile off his face as he looked back at Harry. The bell rang just as Draco looked at him.

"Sure."

LLLLLLLLLL

I feel like there could be more done, but I know there can't before the final chapter. I'm so sorry for the late update! I hope that everyone enjoyed it!


	27. I'll Be There

A/N: Oh my god. I actually made it to the end of this story. It feels so surreal and almost like a dream. I've been working on this for so long it doesn't feel like it should ever be over. But, here it is. The last chapter. It feels so dramatic.

Thank you everyone who has stuck by this until the bitter end. I know that this has gone through a lot in the past almost two years and that many of you have been with it the entire way. So thank you all. And thank you to the many people who joined halfway in and gave me so much motivation to come off of hiatus and finish this stupid thing. Every kind review kept this story alive.

One person stands out from the crowd, and that would be Mr. Jakey Fakey. He started to message me as I was thinking about putting this story on another hiatus. All of his words of praise convinced me not to and to finish this. And here we are today. I've made such a great friend out of this story. His funny stories and advice always add to the inspiration of my recent chapters. And for that, I thank you Jakey. I'm lucky to have such an amazing friend.

So, this entire story is dedicated to Mr. Jakey Fakey. I love ya dearly.

And thank you to whoever told me that Tom Felton actually did music in real life. I cannot remember your name/find the review/find the message, but I do remember you telling me that and I go so excited. Without that bit of information, this story would have never come to this kind of close. So thank you.

Thank you everyone. I hope that everyone enjoys this last installment of On The Brightside. Please let me know what you think! I'll be doing an epilogue, but probably not for a while yet. The song used is **I'll Be There by Tom Felton (feltbeats). **(I changed "my girl" to "my boy" because, well, Draco's singing about a boy)

LLLLLLLLLL

"You're easy to read, like a book. Well, some books. A lot like to fight back, actually."

Ron couldn't help but laugh at that. She was so damn honest it made him want to cry. The red head turned from the window and gave Luna a small smile.

He didn't plan on meeting her here. Luna just randomly showed up to the same spot every so often and they would talk. It was usually about Ron's worries and concerns about Draco. Ron didn't like talking about himself all the time. It made him feel like he was using Luna. The one time Ron asked her about it, she just shook her head and stared at him. So he guessed that meant it was alright.

"And why do you say that?" He asked over his smile. Luna turned away from him.

"Because you look so worried it's almost making me worried. Almost. I still don't understand why you won't talk to Draco." Luna quickly said. It was like she knew what Ron was going to say. It gave him the chills.

"I don't want to because he's been so stressed out lately. He hardly talks anymore when we do see each other. It feels like recently he doesn't really want to hang out."

"I don't think that's it at all."

Luna turned back to the red head, her eyes all wide and knowing. Before Ron could even open his mouth to ask her what she meant, the dinner bell rang loudly in his ears. He looked around himself as it echoed in the halls before giving Luna another small smile.

"Sorry, that's the bell. Gotta go to study hall. Thank you for talking to me, Luna." Ron quickly said before gathering himself and rushing off down the hall. Luna watched him as he left.

She smiled.

000

"_Don't come by today."_

Ron just stared at the note, reading it over and over again. He could feel the tears burning. Harry looked at his best mate, his eyebrows turned up slightly.

The three of them – Ron, Harry, and Hermione – had been studying in the library before lunch time. The red head was in a good mood. Draco had seemed like he was in a better mood lately and it made Ron happy. As the trio had been laughing and having a good time, Draco casually walked by, pretending to ignore them. He dropped a note at Ron's feet as he walked out of the library.

And that's where Ron is now.

Hermione didn't seem to notice Ron's distraught state. He crumpled the note as he shoved it into his robe pockets.

"S-sorry, guys. I gotta go back to the Common Rooms. I'll see you at lunch." Ron barely managed to choke out as he gathered his things and left in a blur. Hermione didn't even have the time to say anything. Harry quickly gathered his things as well and chased after the red head.

"Ron, slow down!" Harry exclaimed as he caught up to Ron and grabbed his shoulder. He spun Ron around to look at him. His eyes were all puffy like he was going to cry, but the tears wouldn't come. Ron took a step back form his friend.

"I'm stupid for being upset."

"Don't say that."

"It's true! Why am I so bloody upset about not seeing him for one freaking day? It's not like we've been _talking _or anything lately. He just sits there and plays the guitar. He won't even look at me sometimes!" Ron yelled in Harry's face. Harry stared at his best mate for a moment, letting his words sink in. He blinked.

"He's planning something."

"What?"

"He's planning something for you. So don't get upset, don't go up the wall about it. Just sit back and be _patient_." Harry replied with a small smile. He gave Ron a slight pat on the shoulder. Ron stared wide eyed at the other teen for a moment before he broke out into wild laughter. Harry was worried about his friend's sanity for a moment.

"I look like the world's biggest idiot right now, don't I?" Ron asked between bursts of laughter. Harry couldn't help but laugh as well at this point.

"Yes, yes you do."

"Do you know what he's planning?" Ron questioned after his laughter died down. Harry gave him a look.

"Yes, and you're not allowed to know." Harry bluntly said. Ron blinked a few times, registering what his best mate had to say.

"Well, why can't I?" Ron pouted. Harry let out a short chuckle as he turned away from the red head.

"Because I'm sure whatever it is, it'll be amazing." The brunette said with a smile that Ron couldn't see. He started to walk away from his best mate, trying to contain his chuckles. The stomps of Ron's footsteps soon followed close behind him. The red head shoved the other teen just a bit before they shared another fit of laughter, slowly making their way to the Common Room.

000

"I didn't expect to see you here already."

Ron turned from the window, his eyes quickly finding the ghostly form of Luna. She had a faint smile that didn't make sense in Ron's head. It didn't seem like she had a reason to smile. He couldn't help but smile back anyway.

"No, Draco asked me not to come by today." He replied, feeling sadder about it than he should have. Luna raised an eyebrow at him, her smile faltering just a bit.

"He did, did he?"

"Yeah, Harry said he has something planned for me, but I'm not allowed to know." Ron replied with a small laugh.

"Well, that would defeat the purpose of a surprise." Luna bluntly said. Ron couldn't help but laugh at that as well, even though there was nothing funny about it. His laughter quickly died.

"I know, but I still wish he'd tell me what he was planning. It's not that I don't like surprises, I just hate waiting." Ron sheepishly replied. He felt as if that childish part of him was shining through. Luna stared at him for a moment, blinking rather slowly, before replying.

"Whatever he has planned must be something special." Luna slowly said. It wasn't a question, it was a _fact_. It was almost like she knew what Draco had up his sleeve, but Ron knew that she couldn't. Draco doesn't even know that Luna knows. Ron didn't even want to think about how the blonde would act if someone other than Harry knew.

"Harry said something like that." Ron said between a sad smile. Luna's expression remained wide and mysterious. Ron shook his head as he looked away from her and out the window next to him. It was quiet for a few moments before Luna let out a small sigh. Ron turned back to her.

"Well, I must be going. My shoes have gone missing again. I think the Nargle's are stealing them. See you around, Ron." Luna quickly said in her dreamy voice. The red head wasn't quite sure how that worked. She turned to leave as a thought came across Ron's mind.

"But there isn't any mistletoe around…" He trailed. Luna turned her head to the side, giving him a small smile before dashing down the hall and out of sight.

Ron just silently laughed to himself when he was sure no one was around. He turned back to the window, looking at the castle grounds on the other side of the glass. He could see the faint reflection of himself and it made the red head uneasy.

The red head just stood there for a long while and thought. He thought about when he first heard Draco play, how the music made him feel like he was floating or dreaming or a strange combination of the two. He thought about hearing Draco play and talking to him without knowing it was him. How could Ron not want to know who it was at the time? How different things would be now…

He remembered slowly not being able to get by in the day without talking to Draco. Back then, it seemed too awkward to think things like that. But now, Ron isn't sure how he _couldn't _think like that. He thought about slowly feeling like he couldn't live without Draco and having him over for the summer and realizing just how deep his feelings ran.

Ron thought about when his parents first found out about him and Draco being friends. That long, awkward car ride home. He thought about Draco winning them over so quickly. He thought about Draco screaming in his sleep to fill the silence, as the blonde had put it. He thought about first kissing Draco and running after him and making the other teen stop hitting himself. And the rest after that is history.

Ron turned away from the window and started down the hall when he realized how dark it had become outside. All the memories seemed distant but so close at the same time. He wanted to hold onto them for as long as he could. They were memories with the person that he loved.

The person he loved that just so happens to be hiding something from him. Stupid surprises.

The red head smiled to himself as he took a step onto the Grand Staircase. The surprise better be worth it.

000

"God, I'm hungry."

"Ron, you're always hungry."

Ron shot Hermione a look that was quickly replaced with a smile. It was currently lunch time. There were a handful of kids about the House Tables. Most chose to take their meals outside to enjoy the last few nice days. Ron chose to stay inside. Who knows what kind of scary magical creatures will attack you for food? Or what kinds of spiders are lurking…

Despite being in a good mood, Ron couldn't help but feel uneasy. He hadn't heard from Draco all day. The red head's first few classes didn't involve Slytherin, so he hadn't seen him either. It made Ron nervous and then he felt stupid for feeling nervous. His emotions just became a jumbled mix of nervous and stupid.

Pushing those feelings aside, Ron dug into his lunch. Even though his stomach was growling quite loudly, the taste of food was making him nauseas. Pushing it aside, Ron chose to stare at the table instead.

And that's when he heard it.

At first, Ron thought it was just his mind playing tricks on him. But then it became louder and louder. Ron spun his head in the direction of the noise, a sense of great curiosity and fear taking over him. Turned out it wasn't his mind being cruel at all.

There he was. Draco was slowly walking towards the red head, his guitar in his hands and he played a soft tune. It was then that Ron noticed the entire Great Hall had gone silent. No one said a word, no one ate any food. Their eyes were fixed on Draco. And, as he came closer and closer to Ron, they became fixed on him as well. Now Draco was standing in front of a dumbfounded red head. He gave his love a quick smile and a wink in between notes. Ron stood up from his seat in a frenzy.

"Ready for your surprise?"

"Draco, what-?"

Before Ron could even think about finishing his statement, Draco cut him off with louder notes and a slight bit of humming. The air became thick as the blonde started to sing.

"_Words come easy with you.  
To keep them coming  
There's nothing I won't do.  
And love comes easy with you  
'Cause you've got a face that makes my heart race._

_And I'll be there, my boy,  
'Til the sun doesn't rise.  
And I'll be there my boy  
When there's tears in your eyes.  
And I'll be there my boy  
To hold you when you're feeling down.  
'Cause when know one seems to care,  
And life ain't being too fair,  
I'll be there.  
'Cause when the feeling can't compare,  
And life ain't being too fair,  
I'll be there._

_And I'll be there that's all I phoned to say  
The day you broke down mentally  
And you were on the motorway.  
So when you've given up, there's nothing left to do -  
My damsel in distress, I'll do my best to rescue you._

_And I'll be there, my boy,  
When the sun doesn't rise.  
And I'll be there, my boy,  
When there's tears in your eyes.  
And I'll be there, my boy,  
When you're feeling down._

'_Cause when know one seems to care  
And life ain't being too fair  
I'll be there.  
'Cause when the feeling can't compare  
And no one seems to care,  
I'll be there.  
'Cause when the feeling can't compare  
And life ain't being too fair,  
I'll be there."_

The last note faded across the hall. It echoed in Ron's brain. Was this is? Was this _really _it? Ron felt like kicking Draco's ass for not even asking him about this first, but he was too focused on the fact that he was happy.

There was an awkward pause. Ron couldn't help but feel it all around the room. And there were the combined confused looks from harry and Hermione right in front of him. He was sure that Harry was smiling on the inside, though. Draco took in a deep breath.

"I know you're scared. I'm scared. I'm _terrified _right now. But I'm tired of not being able to hold your hand in the halls or walk each other to class. I love you, Ron. _I love you_. I don't care what anyone else thinks or says. I really don't. You shouldn't have to care, either." Draco said in what felt like one breath.

It was that moment that something clicked in Ron's head. Before he realized what he was doing, Ron crashed himself into Draco, scooping his face into a longing kiss. Ron couldn't help but smile into the kiss. He pulled away after just a few seconds.

Draco looked confused but happy. Ron couldn't help but laugh just a little bit as he took the blonde's hand. Without saying a word, the two started to walk towards the doors of the Grand Hall. Before they could even get halfway there, an eruption of noise came from behind Ron.

The red head turned around slightly just in time to see Luna leaning over the Ravenclaw table, clapping her hands and creaming wildly. She had the biggest smile on her face, an expression Ron hadn't seen on her before. She just kept clapping and clapping and clapping. Now half the room was giving her an odd look.

Ron couldn't help but smile just as wide as she was. He turned back around, catching Draco's quizzical look. He chose to ignore it and explain later. He just laughed to himself as they made their way to the doors, quickly slipping out of the room.

Ron knew that there would be talk. He knew that kids would treat the both of them differently. But he didn't care. Ron honestly couldn't bring himself to care. He just held tightly onto Draco's hand and led his love out of the hall.

Yeah, there would be explaining later to Hermione. Everyone in the Common Room would want an explanation. From the lion's den to the snake pit, everyone would want some sort of explanation. But Ron really could not care less about that right now. He was openly walking with Draco, the person he was so madly in love with. Now he could kiss him in the halls before and after class. He could do homework with him in the library. He could eat meals with him.

And, despite all the negative to come with, Ron couldn't help but smile.

LLLLLLLLLL

Holy cow. This is finally done. It took me about two weeks to write this. I even made notes for it on my phone. XD I really hope that everyone enjoyed it! Please let me know what you think of the ending. It was going to be slightly different, but I lost my original notes for it. Oh well.


End file.
